Vijayawada: Authorities of Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) have unearthed irregularities in award of civic works to contractors on nomination basis. GMC commissioner Puli Srinivasulu has decided to write to the govt to order a vigilance probe into the scam. The irregularities came to light during verification of works awarded by the civic body in the last four years.
After finding irregularities in the appointment of outsourced employees and misuse of official vehicles in the corporation, the GMC commissioner verify all major works taken up by the governing council, which was elected in 2021. A random verification found that many works were handed over to some select contractors without floating any tenders. “Normally, works on nomination basis are taken up only during emergencies and that too for works not exceeding Rs 5 lakh. But we found that works worth crores were given to some contractors on nomination basis,” said a senior GMC official.
Sources said a preliminary enquiry by the GMC audit team found that works to the tune of Rs 27 crore were completed through nomination basis (C-bill) at the insistence of two key public representatives in the corporation. GMC also spent about Rs 21 crore through C-bills during the Covid-19 pandemic, which is a violation of rules. Among the major works cleared through C-bills were Rs 6 crore on modernization of Gandhi Park, and Rs 2 crore for upgrading the gym and other facilities at NTR stadium.
“Normally, emergency works like restoring drinking water supply or urgent repair of roads during VIP visits are taken up through C-bill route when there is not sufficient time to go through regular tender process. A detailed probe will reveal if officials were pressurised by political forces at the helm of GMC to go for the C-bill route, causing massive loss to the exchequer,” the official added.
