Irregularities in tendering process, 42 Health Engineering Dept staffers chargesheeted

Haryana Public Health Engineering and Public Works Minister Ranbir Gangwa has taken action after serious irregularities came to light in the tendering process within the Rohtak Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department. A total of 42 officers and employees have been chargesheeted and a departmental inquiry has been initiated.

Gangwa said the state government follows a strict policy of zero tolerance towards corruption and negligence and would not allow any compromise in work quality or ethics. Anyone found guilty would face strict action, he added.

The government had received complaints about civil works being carried out in Rohtak PHE Department without following proper procedures. There were irregularities in the tender procedure. A formal inquiry was directed. Based on the findings, Gangwa recommended disciplinary action.

The investigation revealed that many development projects were assigned without using the mandatory online tendering process. Instead, these were falsely declared as emergency works and given out based on offline quotations, clearly violating Departmental Financial Rules (DFR). This not only broke official protocol but also caused financial loss to the government.

According to the report, the irregularities occurred during the tenure of specific Superintending Engineers (SE) and Executive Engineers (XEN).

Notably, such practices were not followed before or after their term, raising serious concerns about intentional violations.

The inquiry also found that in several subdivisions, including Rohtak, Sampla and Meham, work orders were given to some contractors in bulk, more than 10 works in a single day. These projects were conveniently placed just under the financial threshold, indicating these were intentionally split to avoid scrutiny. The roles of Sub-Divisional Engineers (SDEs) and Junior Engineers (JEs) are also under investigation.

Gangwa directed immediate disciplinary action against all involved officers after the inquiry. Apart from this, action will also be taken against retired officers under the pension rules. He also directed officers to tighten the tendering system and blacklist any contractors found involved in corrupt practices.