The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Tender acceptance: powers of engineers enhanced

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Tuesday, Jul 28, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Tender acceptance: powers of engineers enhanced

Sharath S. Srivatsa

Critics fear misuse with reports surfacing of financial irregularities in PWD

Chief Engineers can accept tenders up to Rs. 5 crore
Work at the field level can be executed faster

BANGALORE: Widening the financial powers of engineers in Public Works and Irrigation Departments, the State Government has enhanced powers delegated to different engineering cadres for acceptance of tenders while executing development works.

A Government Order issued by the Finance Department recently has increased the powers for the Chief Engineers to accept tenders up to Rs. 5 crore.

Similarly, the financial power of the Superintendent Engineers has been enhanced to Rs. 1 crore from Rs. 15 lakh, while the same has been enhanced to Rs. 50 lakh from Rs. 2 lakh for the Executive Engineers.

The Finance Department GO said that since the financial powers were delegated during 1994 and no further modifications in this regard have been made, it is felt necessary to enhance the powers delegated at various levels for acceptance of tenders considering the increase in the prices of materials, equipment, labour and others.

In case of the draft tender documents as well as tender for Rs. 2.5 crore and above related to irrigation works, it would be scrutinised by the technical committee before approval by the Chief Engineer/Government.

A Public Works Department source said that the proposal had been discussed and approved in the Procurement Reforms Standing Committee meeting, which had been accepted by the Government. The source said that with the delegation of increased financial powers, the work at the field could be executed faster, as the field officers need not come to Bangalore to secure approvals that had been the norm so far.

Irregularities

However, the increase in the powers at a time when many financial irregularities in the PWD were surfacing, could lead to misuse of powers at the division levels and officials could violate the norms by splitting tenders to approve them at their levels. “Chances of political interference were also more since the enhancing of financial power ensured more discretion at the division level, and that favours could also be shown by the field officers for politically-backed contractors while awarding tenders,” the source said.

Meanwhile, a senior Public Works Department official said that the exercise had been to rationalise spending, and there are adequate checks and balances. “The last revision had taken place in 1994 and there is a need to decentralise power. The officials will be accountable to the Government, as estimates have to be approved by the Government,” the official said.

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