The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), which has recommended to the government to take disciplinary action against former South Zone Commissioner Md. Siraj-ur-Rahman, has now started to gather evidence to substantiate the charges against him.
The official has been accused of exceeding the expenditure limit given and issuing work sanctions on a nomination basis which are not of urgent nature. The government has sought details of the work orders issued illegally following a report sent by the municipal corporation.
Zonal commissioners have powers to award civic works to contractors for up to Rs. 1 lakh on a nomination basis for roads, construction of compound walls and sewer lines if they are of an urgent nature and cannot wait for the tender processes to be completed.
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The Commissioner has the powers to award civic works costing Rs. 5 lakh whenever certain projects have to be done urgently. Societies belonging to SC/ST communities could also be given works on a nomination basis up to Rs. 2.5 lakh.
The elected council was informed that as many as 2,557 works in all the five zones involving an expenditure of Rs.23.8 crore had been given on a nomination basis with a vast majority of them -- 2,244 of them involving Rs.20.52 crore had been allotted in the South Zone, pertaining to the old city in recent times.
Next comes the central zone or the core city where 206 works involve an expenditure of a little more than a crore!
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Review of works
Several works involving an expenditure ranging between Rs. 10 lakh and Rs. 20 lakh were split and were given on nomination basis in South Zone in violation of rules following which Mr. Rahman was relieved from the municipal corporation and a report was submitted to the government. A review of the nomination works was now on so that tenders could be called for those yet to be started.