20 MCG tenders under the scanner

MCG commissioner Yashpal Yadav said in several tenders allocated this year, the cost of the projects, the approved estimates and the final tender prices varied at each stage.

Auditors hired by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) have found irregularities in at least 20 tenders, which have been either awarded by the engineering wing of the civic body this year or are in the process of being awarded, said officials on Friday.

The cost of the projects, the approved estimates and the final tender prices varied at each stage with regard to the 20 projects allotted across the city, officials said. (Yogendra Kumar/HT PHOTO)

MCG commissioner Yashpal Yadav said in several tenders allocated this year, the cost of the projects, the approved estimates and the final tender prices varied at each stage.

The auditors have also revealed that in some cases, records for the type of construction materials used and bills for expenses were missing, while in others, norms were flouted while floating the tenders. “I asked the auditors’ guild for an audit. The audit exercise has revealed some discrepancies, which are currently being looked into by the chief engineer. Once the report on all the irregularities is submitted, we will look into discrepancies individually and initiate the next course of action,” said Yadav.

ND Vashisht, chief engineer of MCG, said that the engineering wing submitted its report on Friday to both the MCG commissioner and the third party agency that is carrying out the audit.

“Some discrepancies were observed during the audit. The process of procuring security deposits from the contractors during the allocation of tenders was not followed as per norms. Further, varying tender rates, missing bills for expenses and absent records on construction materials were also observed. The engineering wing submitted its response on all these issues to the officials concerned today,” said Vashisht.

As per a senior MCG official, varying rates in several tenders had alarmed auditors that prompted them to seek a response to check for malpractices.

“In many cases, the rates of tenders varied at each stage. For example, if the total project cost was ₹1.30 crore, then the estimates approved from the state government was ₹1.50 crore. By the time the project was awarded to the contractor, the project cost has risen to ₹1.80 crore. Hence, there was nearly a ₹50 lakh surge in the final price, which raised suspicions of possible malpractice,” said the official.

The issue is likely to be looked into by the MCG commissioner and other senior civic body officials on June 8, during MCG’s monthly review meeting, said officials.