MCG officials booked in embezzlement case get new roles in civic body
The two engineers, along with another executive engineer, junior engineer and three contractors, are alleged to have forged the signatures of councillors and issued fake work-satisfactory certificates in November last year
An executive engineer and an assistant engineer of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), booked by the police on Friday for allegedly forging documents to embezzle funds, were given new roles amid an administrative reshuffle on Saturday, a senior official of the civic body said.
“The transfers of both the executive and assistant engineers were done as they had been deputed at their respective locations for nearly two to three years. All such officials who have been posted at one location for a long time have been transferred across the MCG to bring greater efficiency in the day to day workings, and approach matters with a fresh perspective,” said Ahuja.
On Saturday afternoon, MCG commissioner Mukesh Kumar Ahuja issued an order transferring various officials of the engineering wing for “smooth functioning” of the MCG.
As per the order, a copy of which is with Hindustan Times, the executive engineer was given charge of MCG wards 29, 26, 25 and 27, and areas falling under the newly extended municipal area, between Sector 58 and Sector 70A. The assistant engineer, meanwhile, was given charge of electrical works in MCG’s Zone 1 and Zone 3.
The two engineers, along with another executive engineer, junior engineer and three contractors, are alleged to have forged the signatures of councillors and issued fake work-satisfactory certificates in November last year.
The Haryana Urban Local Bodies (ULB) and state home minister, Anil Vij, during a surprise visit to MCG’s Sector 34 office on Thursday, took cognisance of the issue and recommended registering an FIR against the four MCG officials and three contractors.
On Friday, based on a complaint from MCG chief engineer TL Sharma, an FIR was registered against the four MCG officials and three contractors for criminal conspiracy, breach of trust by public servant, forgery, forgery of valuable security, forgery for purpose of cheating, using forged document and attempting to commit offences, under sections 120B, 409, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471 and 511 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Sadar police station.
“Based on the directions of the Haryana government, an FIR was registered against the violators. Until the Haryana government gives any further order stating that the officials have to be suspended or terminated, they will continue to fulfil their duties in the MCG,” the senior MCG official cited above said, requesting anonymity.
The MCG’s engineering wing is divided into eight zones. The four MCG officials were deputed in MCG’s zones 4 and 7 at the time of the alleged misappropriation of funds.
Once a localised project is completed, the MCG’s engineering wing needs a work-satisfactory certificate from the local ward councillor, based on which project payments are made to the contractor concerned for completing the job.
In November last year, at least 12 fake certificates came to light, which bore forged signatures of at least 10 councillors, based on which payments were made by the four MCG officials to the three contractors for projects such as road and drain repairs, and laying new sewerage lines.
The projects in question were either not started or at a nascent stage but payments were made in excess of the work done, which violates the MCG’s norms.