Patiala MC floats tenders for works already done

Patiala, Alleged irregularities have come to the fore in the renovation of the Patiala Mayor’s official residence with the Municipal Corporation floating tenders for works already done. A recent tender — The Tribune has a copy — mentions six work items, a majority of which have already been completed.
Among these is ‘providing and fixing LED model board in the Municipal Corporation building (worth Rs 49,900). When The Tribune team visited the corporation office on Tuesday, the LED screen was already in place. An official said it had been there since a month.
Another quote has been invited for wooden work inside 6-C, the official residence of the Patiala Mayor, Sanjiv Bittu Sharma. A visit to the house found the work had already been done.
A senior official said the exercise was against rules as the corporation had to first float tenders and then invite the successful bidder to execute the work. “What if someone fills fresh tender at lower rates? The corporation will then have no option but to allot the tender to the lowest bidder even as they have already installed an item at higher rates,” the official said.
Patiala MC Executive Engineer MM Syal claimed some of the works were completed ahead of the CM’s visit and were done following “verbal orders by the Mayor”. “The ones who have already completed the LED board work will be paid the money once the tender is cleared,” he said.
Asked what if the tender was allotted to another bidder, Syal said in that case the person who bagged the contract would be asked to pay the amount to the one who executed it. About the wooden work, he said it had been partially completed and would be finished only after the tender was allotted.
Municipal Commissioner Gurpreet Khaira said he would look into the matter as the tenders had been floated by the Executive Engineer.