Yeida ordered filing of FIR against corrupt staff

After an internal inquiry initiated by the authority, the staff members were found to be favouring contractors, in clear violation of established rules and regulations

The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida) chief executive officer Arun Vir Singh said on Wednesday that the authority has ordered FIRs against the staff members who were allegedly found involved in corrupt practices, officials aware of the matter said.

This action was prompted by complaints received against a high-ranking general manager of the authority and members of the technical committee. (Representative Image)

After an internal inquiry initiated by the authority, the staff members were found to be favouring contractors, in clear violation of established rules and regulations, the officials said.

This action was prompted by complaints received against a high-ranking general manager of the authority and members of the technical committee, who were responsible for assessing contractors or agencies before awarding them work at various project sites.

“After the complaint was filed, we conducted an inquiry into this case, and the inquiry report confirmed that officials were engaged in corrupt practices. They disregarded rules while awarding contracts for sanitation work in rural areas. Considering this, we have issued an order today directing that FIRs be filed against all involved parties for necessary legal action,” said Arun Vir Singh, the chief executive officer of Yeida.

Yeida had issued tenders for sanitation work in approximately 100 villages near the Noida International Airport in Jewar along the Yamuna Expressway in August of this year.

The villages were divided into two zones, each comprising 50 villages.

According to the established procedure, interested companies apply for tenders, and subsequently, the authority’s technical committee assesses whether the contractors or agencies meet the technical requirements for the sanitation, or any other project mentioned in the tender.

“Six companies were found to be technically qualified for the two sanitation jobs. However, despite these companies meeting the technical qualifications, the general manager instructed the technical committee to re-evaluate the technical qualification of these six companies. This suggests that the general manager had the intention of disqualifying these six companies and favouring other companies, which is against the rules,” said another official from Yeida who is familiar with the matter, requesting anonymity.

Officials said that, according to the rules, technical qualifications can only be re-evaluated if there is a substantial reason to do so.

However, if a company meets all the technical qualification criteria, there is no need for a re-evaluation.

“The inquiry has confirmed that the technical committee members and the general manager intentionally sought to disqualify these six eligible companies to award the sanitation tenders to their preferred companies,” the CEO Singh added

According to officials, Yeida issued tenders in August this year, after deciding to ensure cleanliness in 100 villages by contracting companies capable of handling sanitation work.

The decision arose from demands by the local farmers, who were asking for sanitation services in their villages comparable to those in urban areas, officials added.