Role of 59 officials under scanner for missing measurement books

Harshraj Singh
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, June 18

Role of 59 officials of the Municipal Corporation’s B&R and O&M branches is under scanner as they had ‘failed’ to submit measurement books (MBs), an important record regarding the civil works, to the MC. A number of measurement books are missing from the civic body’s records.

Now, these officials have been served show-cause notices and if they failed to file a satisfactory reply, necessary action may be taken against them.

Following a complaint regarding the missing measurement books from the MC records, the Local Bodies Department has asked the civic body to send an action-taken report against the officials concerned.

The Department of Local Government has written to the MC Commissioner that the Municipal Corporation had sent show-cause notices to 59 officials but a case was forwarded to the government to take action against only 17 officials. The Department has asked the civic body to send an action-taken report or fresh status report against the remaining 42 officials too so that further action can be initiated.

Earlier, the Local Fund Account Punjab had also raised objections in audit reports of the MC, Ludhiana, that a number of measurement books were not submitted by the officials concerned for audit.

But, the civic body had a soft corner for the officials concerned. Even, some officials who had not submitted the measurement books in the past had been awarded promotions too, sources said.

It is mandatory for the officials to submit the measurement books in the MC records. It is a violation of the Municipal Account Code, 1930, if the books are not submitted to the civic body, as per information.

Notably, a financial audit report that was prepared by a third party firm more than a year ago had also disclosed that the measurement books were not being maintained by the officials as per the engineering procedure.

Jr engineers blame asst engineer for ‘fraud’

Meanwhile, three junior engineers at the Zone C have written to the MC authorities against an assistant engineer of the B&R branch for allegedly taking their signatures in a “fraudulent” manner on documents regarding receiving of some old measurement books. But, the assistant engineer had not submitted the old measurement books to them in reality as they alleged.

The junior engineers, who have been working with the MC for a short period, alleged that the measurement books were still in the possession of the assistant engineer concerned. They said they were facing mental harassment as the assistant engineer was giving them “transfer threats” too. They have requested the MC authorities to mark a probe into the matter and provide them justice.

Additional Commissioner Rishipal Singh said show-cause notices had been sent to the officials who had not submitted the measurements books to the Municipal Corporation.

He said if they did not file any satisfactory reply, necessary action would be taken against them.

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