Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 25: Alleging large scale violations of prescribed norms and stipulated eligibility criteria fixed by the Union Ministry of Surface Transport, for execution of Centrally sponsored roads and bridges in the State, JKNPP chairman Harshdev Singh has ridiculed the State Government for its tall slogans of bringing good governance and transparency in the system.
In a press statement here Mr Singh alleged that R&B Department in the State has persistently been under a storm’s eye for fiddling with the prescribed tendering procedure for showering favours on the blue eyed people. Pointing towards the latest incident of tendering of CRF works for which Central Government has announced more than Rs 900 crore to the State, the NPP leader alleged that norms fixed by the MoST were diluted unilaterally by the R&B in the State to accommodate favourites. He said MoST in its communication to the State Government has categorically provided that the aspiring executing agency under CRF projects must have an average turnover of 40% of the value of the contracts for the last five preceding years and should have executed at least one work of identical nature of at least 40% of the value of contract during the last 5 years.
The NPP leader regretted that the R&B indulged in the most the blatant violation of the norms last week by diluting the said criteria and allotting works to some favourites. He observed that the said fraudulent change of criteria fixed by GoI is not only highly scandalous but also indicative of audacity with which fiscal violations are executed. He said very recently an RTI activist had exposed huge scandal of withdrawal of Rs 200 crore by the officers of PWD through self cheques at the fag end of previous financial year in brazen violation of all financial norms. Even during last two months huge amount was withdrawn and plundered through fictitious bills on the pretext of floods damages, disaster management, slip clearance, repairs and renovation etc.
Cautioning the Government to stem the rot in the R&B Department, NPP leader said that not only the appropriate surveillance mechanism for proper accountability is respect of the newly sanctioned funds was important but observance of prescribed norms was mandatory failing which GoI could block all further releases to the State.
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