Two officials among 9 chargesheeted by ACB
Jammu, Apr1 (PTI) Two senior government officials, one of whom had retired from service, have been chargesheeted by the ACB in Reasi district along with seven contractors for executing works at a cost of over Rs 2.53 crore without inviting any tenders.
The officials had executed 162 works without inviting tenders during financial year 2010-11, an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) spokesman said on Wednesday.
They were also charged with releasing payment to the contractors without deducting service tax, thus causing a loss of over Rs 18 lakh to the government exchequer, he said.
The spokesman said the ACB filed the charge sheet against then executive engineer Public works department (Roads and building), special sub-division Mahore (Reasi), Sunil Kumar (retired) and then Assistant Accounts Officer in the office of executive engineer PWD (R&B) Lakhdeep Singh Jamwal and seven private beneficiaries (all contractors) in a case registered under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Ranbir Panel Code in 2013.
He said the instant case was registered on the basis of outcome of verification into the allegations that XEN (R&B) Special Division Mahore has shown executed 162 works departmentally during financial year 2010-11 involving total amount of Rs 2,53,87,520 without inviting any tenders, thereby defeating the purpose of rationality of rates and got works executed through professional contractors and made payment without deducting service tax.
The spokesman said the works were got executed departmentally by deliberately fragmenting them in parts so as to bring them within financial competence and undue benefits has been conferred upon “blue eyed” contractors by first allotting them work without inducing any competition and further releasing payments in their favour without deducting service tax from their payments.
After completing the investigation of the case, sanction for launching prosecution of the accused in-service public servant was obtained from the competent authority and accordingly ACB filed the charge sheet before the Court of special Judge Anti-Corruption Court Udhampur, he said.
The ACB spokesman said the next date of hearing in the case has been fixed for May 1.
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