E-Paper
Lapses in commissioning C&D plant: 3 XENs of Chandigarh’s road wing indicted
MC chief had ordered an inquiry last month after he found that the plant was working below capacity ever since its commencement in March this year
The municipal corporation (MC)’s high-level inquiry committee has indicted all three executive engineers of the road wing for their lapses in commissioning and functioning of construction and demolition (C&D) plant in Industrial Area.
MC chief KK Yadav had ordered an inquiry last month after he found that the plant was working below capacity ever since its commencement in March this year despite the fact that illegal debris and construction waste was accumulated throughout the city.
Inquiry also held SDO (transport) Rakesh Kumar responsible for delay in buying transport vehicles meant to lift construction waste from the city.
Two XENs Ravinder Sharma and Dharmendra Sharma have been indicted for supervisory lapses while another executive engineer Ajay Garg was found responsible for anomalies in diluting tender norms for the plant’s construction. Garg was also indicted for his failure in taking stern action against the contractor of M/s Kher construction for not completing the plant’s civic work, which is still pending.
MC commissioner KK Yadav has ordered issuance of show-cause notice to all three XENs and SDO on why action should not be taken against all of them. “Further proceedings in this matter will be initiated after their reply,” Yadav told HT.
WHAT INQUIRY SAID?
As per the inquiry conducted by additional commissioner SK Jain, all these three XENs did not make concrete efforts to lift construction waste from the city and made people suffer, which also led to a financial loss for the MC since the plant worked only one third of its capacity. They also did not bring the factual position in the notice of MC commissioner, stated inquiry.
Another anomaly that the inquiry report nailed was regarding diluting the tender norms. The condition of three-year mandatory maintenance was reduced to one-year at the time of allotment of contract without any approval of competent authority.
The inquiry report further stated that there was no clause incorporated in the plant’s proposal to lease out its land to another contractor M/s Ramanjeet Singh for making byproducts from crushed debris after processing.
Despite this, the decision to allot the land on lease was done without any approval of competent authority, that is the MC General House.
As far as buying lifting vehicles is concerned, inquiry found that neither the transport wing nor the road wing bothered to take quick action regarding buying vehicles for lifting construction waste even as the decision was approved in the House meeting in April last year.
‘MC SOFT ON CONTRACTOR’
Inquiry revealed that MC road wing XEN Ajay Garg was soft on contractor M/s Kher Constructions who was allotted work of construct the plant in November last year with a five-month deadline. Part of the contract included construction of shed and retaining wall with a budget of ₹39 lakh but that too has not yet been completed.
Neither did the contractor bother to complete the work within the stipulated period nor did the XEN concerned take action against it for non-completion of the work.
