LG's nod for probe against ex-PWD engineer for ‘graft'
New Delhi: Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has approved an investigation against a former executive engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD), Health Zone, in connection with an alleged scam involving forged bills and unauthorised payments to private contractors, resulting in a loss of Rs 200 crore to the state exchequer.
Officials said a retired chief engineer of the PWD and two private firm owners have already been arrested in the case. The LG has now also cleared the way for an investigation into the roles of five more engineers.
The investigation approval follows a proposal by the Directorate of Vigilance (DoV), based on a request from the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB). The case originated from a complaint received in March 2021 from a private individual, alleging irregularities in under-construction hospital projects undertaken during the Covid-19 pandemic.
An initial ACB inquiry reportedly found the allegations to be substantiated.
According to the case file, several purchase orders related to the project were issued either much before the contract was awarded to the firms or 4-6 months after the completion of the work, which raised serious doubts over its execution. Some of the firms from which the purchases were shown to be made were not found to be operating from the given addresses.
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The inquiry conducted so far revealed that the officials of PWD are collectively responsible for the alleged offence. Payments were cleared by the officials to the firms/contractors against forged/fake bills, which caused a huge loss to the govt exchequer. Moreover, forged signatures and presence in the spot quotation were done by the alleged PWD officials in order to give benefit to their favourite contractors, the DOV mentioned in the case file.
Officials said the National Capital Civil Service Authority (NCCSA) unanimously recommended the proposal for investigation, emphasising the need for a thorough examination of the actions of the involved officials. The ACB findings indicated that the alleged misconduct not only eroded public trust but also posed a serious threat to the integrity of govt operations. The investigation will focus on the roles of officials of PWD's health zone to determine their individual responsibility in the alleged corruption.
In his remarks, the LG stressed the gravity of the allegations and said it was in the interest of justice to allow an investigation into the matter. He also directed the DoV to promptly process all investigation-related requests under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, in line with prescribed timelines.
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