KOCHI: In an unusual move, the Kochi Corporation has decided to approach the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to probe a deal on retro-reflective signage in the city.
Mayor Soumini Jain issued a letter to Kochi Corporation Secretary Haritha V. Kumar, directing her to approach the VACB seeking an investigation into the deal. The secretary, it is understood, will write to the VACB on Saturday.
It was during the term of the previous council led by then Mayor Tony Chammany the agreement on putting up signage was signed with a private firm. The company, which won the contract through e-tender, was expected to erect around 4,440 retro-reflective boards across the city. However, it was found later that the firm could put up only 347 boards, sources said.
The firm was brought in to set up boards in the city as the local body annually coughed up around ₹4 crore for the purpose. Going by the agreement between the firm and the civic body, the former was expected to pay a fee to the local body. The company was permitted to realise its investment by way of commercial advertisements on the signage in seven years. It had also furnished a bank guarantee of ₹10 lakh.
However, the company could not complete the task within the specified period, sources said.
Sources in the civic administration indicated that most of the contractual agreements were found flouted by the firm. There were serious cases of breach of trust and fraudulent acts, which need to be probed, they added.
