CCTV cameras, traffic lights probe Panels submit report, two suspended
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 23 2017:
After the enquiry committees constituted to investigate into procurement and installation of CCTV cameras and traffic signal lights installed at Imphal city have submitted their reports, two engineers of the State PWD have been placed under suspension.
Both the committees are headed by ADGP Pramod Asthana.
While the report concerning CCTV cameras is said to be interim, the other pertaining to traffic signal light is said to be final.
Addressing a press conference in the Cabinet Hall of the CM's Secretariat today, Chief Minister N Biren stated that two officials namely, L Sunita (the then AE and EE/ED-I for Phase-II) and L Kumar (the then SW and present SE/EC) have been put under suspension for their involvement in the mess.
In connection with the same case, the Government would also penalise six other retired officials namely S Lokendra (the then SO, PWD Electrical), Kh Yaima (the then EE/ED-I), Y Devendra (the then SE/Electrical Circle), W Kesho (the then Chief Engineer), M Theimon (the then Chief Engineer � Mech.
& Elect.
� PWD) and M Lokendro Singh (the then Chief Engineer, PWD) through relevant legal channels.
In order to deliver transparency to the people, the State Government decided to take prompt action against these eight officials soon after the enquiry committee headed by Additional DGP Pramod Asthana submitted its report today, stated the Chief Minister.
The report mentioned that the prescribed procedure, established norms and extant rules were not observed scrupulously in the installation process of LED based traffic signal lights leading to wilful and undue favour to a particular company in the allocation of the project.
N Biren contended that there was no fair competition as only one company was submitting rate and dictating the terms.
It was established that the cost was calculated with pre-disposed mind to spend all available money for lesser number of traffic signals rather than discovering the cost by way of fair competition and existing market rates.
The Chief Minister further conveyed that the involved officials had even categorically admitted this fact during the enquiry.
The way procurements were made led to wrongful loss of public money by way of apparent over-invoice, he added.
Further, even after selecting a particular company in this way, the equipment and the materials procured and installed appeared to be of sub-standard quality and capacity, the Chief Minister stated.
This was evident from the substantial and repeated malfunctioning of the equipment immediately after the installation and wilful change of energy/power source from pure solar to hybrid source, Biren continued.
The Chief Minister further said that the officers did not make field survey/site inspection nor prepared any ground based estimate with broad details and did not make proper entries in the Measurement Book.
Regarding enquiry into installation of CCTV cameras in Imphal, the Chief Minister informed the media persons that the enquiry committee had submitted an interim report today, and the final report is likely to be received within a week, he conveyed.
The committee investigating into the procurement and installation of CCTV cameras maintained that they could not submit the final report as 2000 pages out of the relevant document concerning the deal were missing.
Even though Police Department was the user agency of the CCTV cameras, the department did not make any proposal to procure CCTV cameras and these cameras were installed at spots chosen by the company which supplied them.
It was also found that 100 per cent advanced payment was made for procurement and installation of the CCTV cameras.
The Chief Minister hinted that an independent body may be roped in to investigate the same issue in case the particular committee cannot submit its final report shortly.
Biren further informed that his Government has started investigating into the purchase of wireless equipment for Manipur Police at the cost of Rs three crore.
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