Noida to act against engineers after probe
NOIDA: The Noida authority is set to take action against engineers accused of carrying out public projects without adhering to the established guidelines, according to officials on Monday
NOIDA: The Noida authority is set to take action against engineers accused of carrying out public projects without adhering to the established guidelines, according to officials on Monday. The move comes after the authority’s chief executive officer Ritu Maheshwari came to know about several engineers carrying out work without issuing tenders or hiring agencies in accordance with the rules.
“We have instructed the department to conduct an investigation so that we can take action against those responsible for this anomaly. Whenever we undertake work, we must follow certain guidelines for selecting the contractor or agency responsible for construction or development work. If the inquiry finds someone to be at fault, we will terminate the services of the contractual junior engineer and report senior engineers involved in the matter to the state government,” said Ritu Maheshwari.
Officials said that over the past two years, some junior engineers have carried out public work such as road and drain construction, as well as other developmental work, from private contractors without issuing tenders according to the rules. The authority must issue a tender inviting bids from interested contractors or agencies. The authority then selects the agency that offers the lowest bid for the work in question. Once an agency is selected according to the rules, the authority awards the contract for the work.
Officials added that the contractor performed work and began accepting payment without being awarded the job.
“We discovered this error when the contractor and agency requested payment from the authority. When senior officials examined the files, they realized that procedures had been violated in the job offer. The investigation will now establish who was involved in the corruption. According to estimates, work worth around R4 crore was performed in violation of the rules. However, the exact cost of the projects will only be determined after the investigation is complete,” a Noida authority official said.
Under the rules, the CEO has the authority to terminate the services of junior engineers and request action against senior officials from the state government.
“We will terminate the JEs’ employment and suggest action against senior officials. We discovered that these rules were violated in work circle 10,” Maheshwari said. Work circle 10 includes Sectors 135, 150, 151, and 152, among others.
“The Noida authority takes too long to investigate corruption cases. Justice delayed is justice denied. The authority must conduct a prompt investigation and act quickly,” said Sunil Kumar Mishra, a resident of Sector 135, who is demanding prompt action.
