Panipat desilting tender under lens, fake documents alleged
The Panipat Municipal Corporation has landed in controversy once again over allegations of corruption in the allotment of a tender for desilting Drain No. 1, one of the city’s main drainage channels.
The issue came to light after the owner of Lord Shiva Enterprises, Sonepat, lodged a complaint with Chief Minister and other senior state officials, including the Urban Local Bodies Minister, Chief Secretary, and the Anti-Corruption Bureau chief. The complaint accuses an executive engineer of awarding the tender to an ineligible firm using fake documents, allegedly with the assistance of a private accomplice.
Taking cognisance of the complaint, Municipal Commissioner Dr Pankaj Yadav has put the work allocation on hold and directed Superintending Engineer Puneet Kumar to conduct an inquiry and verify all documents submitted by the selected firm, Unique WindShield Glass.
“If the documents deposited by the company are found fake, the tender will be cancelled, and the firm will be blacklisted,” said Dr Yadav.
“There is zero tolerance against corruption in the MC, and all work is being carried out transparently. If any official is found involved, strict action will follow.”
The tender, worth Rs 36 lakh, was allotted to Unique WindShield Glass for the desilting of an 8-km stretch of Drain No. 1, which runs from Kabri Road to Chautala Road, before merging into Drain No. 2. The stretch is known to be heavily choked with garbage, with Haryana State Pollution Control Board identifying it as severely polluted.
The complainant, who submitted a bid through Balaji Society, claims the winning bidder furnished a fake experience certificate from MC Gurugram’s Division No. 6. He alleged the work mentioned in the certificate was never actually awarded or executed, raising doubts over the integrity of the tendering process.
He also pointed out that, as per the Detailed Notice Inviting Tender (DNIT), the technical evaluation results were to be displayed for seven days, a requirement that was allegedly bypassed.
“If the complainant wants to come forward, we are ready to verify all documents in front of him,” the Commissioner added.
The complainant has demanded a high-level probe and strict action against the executive engineer and his alleged private associate.
Haryana Tribune