The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has taken decisive action against suspected financial and procedural irregularities in storm water drainage projects within the city. This crackdown involves the suspension of four engineering officials, initiation of criminal proceedings, and the pursuit of recoveries amounting to crores of rupees. The move comes after a Vigilance audit exposed discrepancies in measurement records and billing, particularly in the East Zone contracts.
The investigation by the corporation’s Vigilance Department revealed a range of irregularities, including alterations in measurement books, duplicate entries, and mismatches between actual site execution and recorded quantities. Various entities, including contractors, project management consultants, and engineering officials, were scrutinized. Notable firms like Vist Construction, Meeral Infrastructure, and TUV Rheinland (India) Pvt. Ltd. were among those investigated.
In a significant case concerning storm water drainage work in the Ramol-Hathijan ward, discrepancies such as duplication of measurements and manipulation of measurement book entries were uncovered. The project, initially valued at Rs 7.33 crore, had already received payments exceeding Rs 5.81 crore. Subletting and alterations in the original measurement book pages were also identified, leading to the initiation of an FIR and recovery proceedings by the civic body.
Duplicate measurement entries and irregular billing were found in another contract package involving Vist Construction and Meeral Infrastructure. This led to proposed recoveries of over Rs 2.34 crore from Vist Construction alone, along with additional recoveries for measurement discrepancies. In a separate case in the Vastral ward, irregularities in measurement entries and billing under storm water and drainage line works resulted in calculated recoveries exceeding Rs 81 lakh, including interest.
Following these findings, the municipal commissioner has suspended four officials from the East Zone engineering department and initiated a departmental enquiry against them. Additionally, the PMC firm TUV Rheinland (India) Pvt. Ltd. faces blacklisting for alleged lapses in supervision and documentation. The corporation has halted new work allocation to the implicated agencies until the investigation concludes, alongside implementing system-wide corrective measures to prevent future irregularities.
