The Hynñiewtrep Youth Council (HYC), NEHU Unit has alleged misappropriation of funds by the Campus Development Department (CDD) in the university stating that an additional labour cess of one per cent was entered in tender works.
In a statement today, HYC unit president Iarapbhathik Shangrit stated that the CDD has issued certain work orders based on Delhi Schedule of Rates, 2018 (CPWD) and Delhi Schedule of Rates 2016 (CPWD). He said that the rates in Delhi are always inclusive of Labour Cess and the same was put up in the Analysis of Rates for Civil Works for the Year 2018 on CPWD’s website.
He said based on the rates in Delhi, an additional cess of one per cent has been again paid to contractors which is illegal and is a source of corruption in the CDD.
Furthermore, he said that some work orders have been issued to the contractors based on Delhi Schedule of Rates, 2016 with some premium worked out by CDD. “While working out such premiums, Labour Cess has already been added, so why it is added again in the work orders as an addition,” he questioned.
The HYC also alleged that it is a practice of CDD that these additions to the estimates are done to inflate the estimates, which in turn favours the contractors. The organisation said that till recent past there existed an absurd condition to accept the tender only up to 10 per cent below the estimates which the former vice chancellor, Prof. S.K. Srivastava quietly removed in his penultimate meeting of the Executive Council.
While the university boasts that the practice to accept tender 10 per cent would save money, the HYC said the fact remains that any addition made at the time of estimate is passed on to the contractors as they quote 10 per cent below such inflated amount and the contractor was chosen on their whims and fancies.
The HYC cited a work order awarded to M/S A7 Enterprise for provision of concertina coil fencing over existing boundary wall at Rs 17, 85,482.00 which was given on the basis of Schedule CPWD Delhi Schedule of Rates, 2016 with a premium of 60.08 per cent and labour cess at one per cent.
“Adding the premium is questionable as CPWD’s rate for same item worked out to be Rs.293.70 and NEHU’s rate at Rs.447.00 which is inclusive of the cess the department added another one per cent cess for Rs 19,642.26 in the work orders,” the HYC alleged.
Demanding action against officials, the organisation blamed NEHU executive engineer, Jose Cherian as a “main tool of corruption.”
“It is necessary to identify all the tender where an additional cess of one per cent was added and accountability be fixed and such corrupt officials be punished as per law of the land,” the HYC said.
