Over the last six years, over Rs 100 crore has been spent for “repairs” of new vehicles
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Hyderabad: The Vigilance wing has come across a Rs 100-crore scam in the GHMC’s transport wing. The GHMC reportedly has been passing the buck and not taking action against the officers involved in the scam. In all quotations, if a vehicle is purchased for Rs 10 lakh, the repair bills for the same vehicle the next year is around Rs 30 lakh. In the pretext of vehicle repair, officials of the Transport wing have billed the GHMC close to Rs 30 crore. Over the last six years, over Rs 100 crore has been spent for “repairs” of new vehicles.
The Vigilance report has revealed that there was no connection between budget allotment and the expenditure as for years, the bills were presented in excess of budget sanction. The V&E in its finding has stated that “passing the bills without budget sanction was well within the knowledge, from driver to commissioner and corporator to mayor”. The V&E department took up random bills pertaining to supply of spare parts and found that in some cases the firms which had received huge amount towards supply of spare parts were non-existent.
Physical verification to identify the dealers revealed that some firms, like M/S Gayatri Engineering and M/S N.V. Enterprise, were bogus. The report observed that bills worth Rs 3.77 crore were pending at the purchase order itself, giving rise to doubts as to whether there were any real requirement of spare parts at all.
The report also states that tenders were not called for selecting contractors for attending the repairs. Even the then chief transport office confessed to V & E officials that he was helpless in controlling the irregularities.
Mr M. Padmanabha Reddy, secretary for Forum for Good Governance said, "There appears to be clear dereliction of duty by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development department by not pursuing the matter; every year crores of rupees are squandered on the Transport wing, but there have been no arrests. It is no less than a mafia operating.”
( Source : dc )
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