Minister orders probe into purchase of equipment
Many officers to come under scanner during probe, says UDD engineer
PATNA: Days after deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi reviewed the state of preparedness of the government agencies to deal with waterlogging in the capital city in upcoming monsoon, urban development department (UDD) minister Suresh Kumar Sharma has ordered an inquiry into the purchases of equipment, costing Rs 167 crore, by the Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (Buidco) for the same purpose.
The inquiry order followed a review meeting of engineers of Buidco to assess the progress on repair of the existing drainage pumping stations (DPS), installation of temporary sump houses and availability of resources to deal with the last year’s situation, which left Patna flooded for more than a fortnight in September.
The minister observed the Buidco was unable to get the supply of high capacity equipment such as vertical submersible pumps, diesel pump sets, diesel generators, etc, before the onset of the monsoon and hence they could not be put to use this year. “The order for procurement must be placed on time and the officials should ensure timely delivery of the machines,” said Sharma, adding that the officers, held responsible for the delay, would not be spared.
Sharma said the inquiry panel, to be constituted in the next couple of days, would also ascertain if the agency, offered the work order from Buidco to supply the equipment, meets the international standard.
“The agency would not be paid any money against the order until the inquiry is complete,” the minister stated in the review meeting on Thursday evening.
A senior officer of Buidco said that the minister also reprimanded the engineers for placing orders of unwarranted equipment, which might not ever be put to use by the agency for drainage purposes.
The minister also expressed serious discontent over the abysmally slow progress on preparation of the detailed project report for Patna’s drainage system and said that the inquiry committee would also review it.
Waking up to the last year’s embarrassment due to a prolonged phase of waterlogging, which affected more than 15 lakh people in the state capital, the UDD had allocated Rs 167 crore for the purpose of strengthening the drainage system and purchase of additional equipment by Buidco—the engineering arm of the UDD—to deal with operation and maintenance of the DPS.
An engineer posted with UDD said the conduct of many officers of the Buidco and UDD would come under scanner once the probe panel undertakes the inquiry.
“Only lip service will not work this time. The words must translate into action,” said the minister, adding that the former MD of Buidco, former Patna municipal corporation (PMC) commissioner and many engineers and staff were either suspended or terminated from service last year for their lapses that led to severe waterlogging in Patna.
Repeated attempts to seek the comments of UDD secretary Anand Kishore and Buidco MD Raman Kumar on this issue did not fructify.