Painted stones replacing with original white river stones after high drama at sector 9/10/15/16 roundabout in Panchkula. (Express photo : Jaipal Singh)COMMISSIONER OF Panchkula Municipal Corporation Rajesh Jogpal had on December 28 last year asked the superintending engineer to hold back the second phase of payment of the firm executing the beautification work. Jogpal, in a statement issued on Monday, said, “The moment discrepancies in the work by the firm executing roundabouts beautification came to the notice of MC Administrator through written directions to the superintending engineer, he immediately asked to stop the payment to M/s Sakumbari Engineering works.”
The firm has been paid Rs 1.93 crore out of Rs 2.84 crore in the first phase. Talking to Chandigarh Newsline, Jogpal said, “All the payments, bills, DNITs, it is domain of engineering wing and they prepare it. Whether a payment has to be made or not, it is the engineering wing which has to examine and verify all the things on the ground. They have to carry out inspections and then further make recommendations. Being Commissioner, I just sign what is recommended by the engineering wing. In this case, the payment of first phase was recommended by the superintending engineer and I assumed he must have taken everything into account.”
Panchkula Municipal Corporation’s Executive Engineer L C Chauhan had alleged that the payment of Rs 1.93 crore was released to the work-executing agency in his absence and despite the fact that he had pointed out grave discrepancies in the roundabout beautification work, the payment was made. He had also written to the Panchkula police seeking registration of an FIR, apprehending that his signatures were “being misused”on “approval and payment related files”. The Panchkula police, however, has not yet acted on his complaint.
Chauhan had stated that he had pointed out various discrepancies in the beautification work on November 15 to the agency concerned, with a copy to all senior officers. When he returned from three-day tour, he got to know that payment has been made.
Jogpal specified, “A committee has been constituted to look into all technical aspects like payment, material, work. If anyone has committed any irregularities or with wrong intention has recommended the payment, strict action will be taken. If any kind of wrong payment has been released to the firm, recovery will be imposed on the agency. The work of roundabouts has been carried out keeping in view the safety of commuters.”
He stated that after the committee submits its report, “if any action is to be taken at my level, I will take it and if it is to be recommended to the Haryana government, it will be sent”.
Meanwhile, the Youth Congress workers held a protest outside the office of MC Panchkula in Sector 14. They burnt the effigies of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Haryana Urban Local Bodies Minister Kavita Jain and Panchkula MLA Gian Chand Gupta. They raised slogans against the government in connection with the alleged scam.
