Scam unearthed in Sirsa civic works, 7 engineers under Vigilance scanner

A scam running into crores has been unearthed in development projects carried out by the Sirsa Municipal Council between 2012 and 2014. An inquiry by the Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has exposed massive irregularities and violations of rules, implicating several municipal engineers and contractors.

According to sources in the council, the investigation report names 21 officials as suspects, while fines have been imposed on contractors involved in the projects. A chargesheet has been drafted against the then Executive Officer and several Junior Engineers (JEs), which will now be forwarded to the Directorate through the District Municipal Commissioner.

The Vigilance probe found that several construction works were executed without mandatory approvals and in violation of tendering norms. Some projects were falsely shown on disputed land, while payments were cleared for streetlights without tenders. In several cases, tenders were opened prematurely to favour specific contractors, who allegedly used substandard materials.

Lab tests confirmed that cement, sand and gravel used were below prescribed standards. Iron grills and angles for road dividers were missing, while the actual lengths of streets were found to be shorter than shown in official records.

The report specifically names seven engineers for their alleged role: Suber Singh and Bhupender Singh (both former Municipal Engineers in Sirsa), and Junior Engineers Rajesh Kumar, Arun Kumar, Rajesh Dalal, Deepak Kumar and Om Prakash (retired JEs).

The Vigilance has also ordered the recovery of about Rs 35 lakh from the erring officials and contractors.

Confirming the development, Sunil Ranga, Executive Officer of the Sirsa Municipal Council, told The Tribune: “A copy of the investigation report was received from the Directorate last week. The report includes instructions to prepare a chargesheet against seven engineers, some of whom have already retired. The draft of the chargesheet has been prepared and will be sent to the Director through the District Municipal Commissioner. Further action in the case will be taken at the headquarters level.”