PWD officials accused of asking bribe money
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, April 01 2023:
A sub-contractor engaged in construction of Covid Care Centre near Loukoipat in Bishnupur district has alleged that PWD officials are hindering withdrawal of bill for the work he had done for not paying some percentage of the bill amount as bribe money.
Addressing a press meet at his Koirou Thongju Part 2 residence in Imphal East district, sub-contractor Nameirakpam Gouro informed that the total bill amount for the project is Rs 1,82,34,329 and higher officials of the department are demanding 10 per cent of the bill amount.
The construction work on the Covid Care Centre began in August 2020 and the same was commissioned after completion on September 15 .
He took up the project for the welfare of general public at a time when the whole state was reluctant to step out of home due to the dreaded nature of the pandemic.
He waited for nearly three years before the health department submitted the bill to the finance department, which issued despatch order on March 10 this year, Gouro said.
Surprisingly, some higher officials in the PWD demanded 10 per cent of the bill amount for releasing the same.
The bill was supposed to be drawn before the end of the financial year but the officials prevented from releasing the bill for denying their demand for bribe money, he alleged.
Drawing attention of the chief minister, who advocates against corruption, Gouro appealed to the government to allow drawal of the bill through the engineering cell of the health department within the current month.