The Noida Authority on Friday removed Yadav Singh as its engineer-in- chief and shunted him to the personnel department as it began a damage-control exercise after income-tax raids on a company in which his wife is a director. But what really raised eyebrows was how a man suspended after being accused of masterminding a Rs 954-crore scam from the same chair two years ago got it back in 2013. Not only did the state government allow Singh to reclaim his saddle, he was given additional charge as engineer-in-chief of the Greater Noida and Yamuna expressway authorities barely a fortnight ago. During this period that he held charge as the top technical officer of all three authorities, engineering departments under him initiated over 20 tenders worth around Rs 30 crore. Rama Raman, the CEO of the Noida Authority, on Friday cancelled all these tenders. Even as the buzz in the corridors of the three authorities revolved around Singhs mysterious reinstatement, removal and income-tax raids on the premises of Meenu Creation Pvt Ltd — a firm in which Singhs wife Kusum Lal — Raman said the Authority would henceforth follow an e- tendering process for contracts worth more than Rs 50 lakh. At present, e-tenders are given only for contracts worth over Rs 2 crore. The move is aimed at maintaining greater transparency and to deter anyone from adopting corrupt practices in the tendering process, said Raman. The cancelled tenders will be re-initiated soon, officials said. The Noida Contractors Welfare Association, however, called for an overhaul of the system rather than just lower the e- tendering threshold, saying merely doing that wouldnt stop malpractices. We instead demand that the e-tendering process be adopted on the pattern of the central public works department for all tenders, irrespective of their amount, said Sanjay Mishra, president of the association. Mishra also alleged that more scams would be uncovered if tenders below Rs 2 crore awarded over the past year were scanned.h
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 14:18:18 +0000
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