SUSPENSION ISSUE Rachna Khaira Jalandhar, July 7 In protest against the suspension of Superintending Engineer (SE) Kulvinder Singh at the Municipal Corporation of Jalandhar (MCJ), engineers today proceeded on a day’s mass leave. They included XENs, SEs, SDOs and engineers of the B&R Department and the O&M Department. Along with Singh, PK Goel of Amritsar, Pawan Sharma and Dharam Singh, Superintending Engineer of the Municipal Corporation of Ludhiana, were also suspended for the same reason. Due to this, the engineers of the above Corporations too went on a day’s mass leave to show their solidarity with the suspended officials. Singh, along with others, was suspended after a Vigilance team on inspection found that while awarding contracts, the SEs had violated the Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, wherein a house resolution was must for any work order above Rs 25,000. Also the team found that the Finance and Contract Committee’s approval was not taken for a majority of the works. The team also opined that guidelines of the CVC were violated, calling for a written detailed justification in such cases. Therefore, prima facie, it was made clear that 50 per cent of the tenders of Rs 100 crore were allotted on single bid, violating the MC laws, CVC guidelines and local government circulars. Looking at the scale of irregularities committed by the erring officials the superintending engineers of the respective corporations were suspended with immediate effect. The engineers had demanded that either the government should revert its order of the suspension of four SEs in the civic bodies or else they will lodge a statewide stir against the order. Mayor Sunil Jyoti claimed ambiguity in the order and said that it needed to be reviewed. “When the state government itself has approved single bidding tender through e-tendering process, why is it creating a ruckus over the issue? The decision seemed to be politically motivated and there is no truth in it,” said Jyoti.

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