Delhi Lokayukta Manmohan Sarin has dismissed a complaint against senior BJP leader and former MCD Standing Committee chairman Vijender Gupta alleging irregularities in the purchase of uniforms for employees of the civic body and students of schools run by it.
The complaint was filed by former Delhi Mayor and senior Congress leader Farhad Suri.
Justice Sarin said Mr. Gupta’s conduct was probed as it was alleged that he, in connivance with the National Textile Corporation (NTC) and the Khadi & Village Industries Corporation (KVIC), had procured cloth in a huge quantity without following the tender procedure and by ignoring the guidelines on the subject.
It had been alleged that the NTC and KVIC had no infrastructure to supply the cloth and that the material and procurement was a camouflage as the cloth was allegedly purchased from private firms through these agencies causing a loss to the exchequer to the tune of Rs.9 to Rs.10 crore.
It was also alleged that the school uniform was procured through NTC and KVIC at the rate of Rs.79 per square metre as against the DGS&D rates of Rs.54 per square metre.
During the inquiry, the Lokayukta called the record from the MCD and its Education Department and also sought Mr. Gupta’s response.
Justice Sarin said: “For the purchase of uniform for employees of the MCD, a six-member Committee headed by Additional Commissioner [HQ] was constituted by the Commission to decide the rates and the agency. The Committee recommended the procurement of uniform at the HOD level from the NTC and the KVIC at the rate fixed by the Department of Personnel and Training and the DGS&D rates. These recommendations were approved by Standing Committee and finally by the House of the MCD.”
The Directorate of Education, MCD, had initially floated a tender for purchase of the cloth, but the tender process failed and the competent authority directed that the cloth be purchased from Central/State government mills on nominal basis on priority as cloth for uniforms of students were needed urgently.
The Lokayukta said a thorough inquiry revealed that the allegation of collusion of the NTC and the KVIC on one hand and Mr. Gupta on the other was baseless and so he dismissed the complaint.
While doing so, the Lokayukta observed that even when administration decisions are taken with due diligence there still can be chances of an erroneous decision.
“If a person is held liable for an erroneous decision taken in administrative discretion, it will adversely affect the effective administrative functioning and the officer in the administration would not venture to take a decision or avoid the same.”
