Activist red-flags green drive by Public Works Department

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 10

Suresh Kumar Sharma, an RTI activist and former AAP leader, has accused officials of the PWD for fudging the number of trees, shrubs during their maintenance and installing grills and paint without calling tenders.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, he claimed that it was a blatant attempt to loot the public money and defraud the exchequer. Elaborating the pattern he alleged that 155 trees were planted at a cost of Rs 38,638 on either side of the stretch from the Golden Gate to the Tara Wala Pul on the UBDC. However, when it came to upkeep, the PWD released Rs 15.50 lakh during the past five years while showing number of trees as 1,081 in 2015-16, 908 for next two years, 788 in 2018-19 and 807 for the fifth year.

The activist alleged that 155 trees were planted at a cost of Rs38,638 on either side of the stretch from the Golden Gate to the Tara Wala Pul on the UBDC. However, when it came to upkeep, the PWD released Rs15.50 lakh in the past five years while showing number of trees as 1,081 in 2015-16, 908 for next two years, 788 in 2018-19 and 807 for the fifth year

Similarly, 3,104 bushes at a cost of Rs 4.41 lakh were planted in 2015-16. However, when it came to their upkeep the number swelled to 4,398 bushes in the first year, the number remained the same for the next two years and it was 4,048 in fourth year and no cost was reflected on the fifth year.

Similarly, PWD’s Ground Cover (grass) Department recorded that the grass was planted over 4,587 square metre at the cost of Rs 5,11,189 and their maintenance cost was paid over Rs 40 lakh for the next five years. However, in the maintenance figure it showed the cost was paid for 6,145 square meter during the first year, 6,119 for the next three and fifth years it came down to 5,113. Tender of all aforementioned projects were awarded to a company in 2015-16.

Sharma blamed the PWD officials of getting iron grills worth Rs 9.74 lakh installed and 4,712 liters of paint at a cost of Rs 2.60 lakh without calling tender. He added that: “Surprisingly, these things did not figure in work order and tenders not called yet the bills of these amounts were passed in favour of the same private nursery which was engaged in carrying out upkeep of all aforementioned projects”.

What officials say

Inderjeet Singh, Executive Engineer, PWD, said: “Facts were misrepresented to show the maintenance cost as a scam”.Satinder Singh, SDO (Horticulture) of PWD, said 155 trees were planted in 2016-2017 as replacement for an equal number of the trees that had perished during the road widening. A year before this, over 1,000 ornamental and shady trees were planted on the same stretch. So, all of them were clubbed together for maintenance while giving away the contract. The 3,104 bushes were planted under the elevated road. While giving away the tender for maintenance, the cost also included the trees already planted over there, said he and added that no maintenance cost was reflected for the fifth year as per the agreement, the company had to upkeep the bushes for five years while getting maintenance fund for four years. So no extra amount was paid for the fifth year.

He claimed that grills were not installed but repaired and painted under the elevated road. He said the entire work was carried out under a specific government project in which five years maintenance was also involved.