Govt, SVC differ on means to curb corrupt practices

The state government and State Vigilance Commission (SVC) have developed differences over the means of checking corruption in public offices with the Commission’s recommendations listing pendency of contractor’s bills and release of  interest free advance money as corrupt practices.
The SVC has issued a set of instructions to the finance department to check corruption in public offices, observing that the government departments and the public sector undertakings (PSUs) have released “unsecured interest free mobilization advance to the contractors which has caused a heavy loss to the state exchequer”.
The Commission has further noted that the bills of contractors should be released in time to avoid corrupt practices.
Officials said that recommendations were issued after series of meetings within the SVC with Chief Vigilance Commissioner, Kuldeep Khoda, issuing the recommendation. Government has issued directions, “which can slow down the work”.
The recommendations were issued to Finance department by the SVC.
Director Codes, Rafiq Andrabi, said, “The instructions of the SVC are being looked into before they will be implemented. The contractors shouldn’t be able to take advantage and do shoddy work and it is because of that the bills are kept pending for some time.”
The SVC has noted in its recommendations that the Heads of Departments ( HODs) should keep details of advance money that has been released without proper procedure for taking action against the officials, and the in case of Public  Sector Undertakings (PSUs) their boards should take note of the matter.
The SVC has found that earlier also the requisite bank guarantee to the extent of 110 percent has not been sought by departments before releasing the advance money. “ The money that was released as advance money  has not been  recovered within a stipulated period of time. This is required as the contractors make a capital out of the interest free advance money which is being released to them,” noted the order of the SVC.
Chief Engineer, Roads and Buildings, Satish Razdan, said the advance money is released only in rare cases in which the contract is heavy. “The release of advance money is being ensured so that the work is done swiftly,” said a government official.