Shimla, April 4 (IANS) Smelling nexus among politicians, bureaucrats and a private company, former Shimla Municipal Corporation Deputy Mayor Tikender Singh Panwar on Tuesday demanded a probe into the affairs of the Shimla Jal Nigam Prabandhan Ltd (SJNPL), a water utility created in 2018 to pump the Satluj river water, with the World Bank help, and supply to the state capital.
In a missive to Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, Panwar pointed out violations in running the utility and sought probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and ensure those who have “swindled swathes of money” are taken to task — the politicians, bureaucrats, and officers.
“If you are able to look into some of the files, particularly the letters that I have written to your office, you would realise that this utility has become a space for opaque deals, corruption, and cronyism of the worst order.”
Pointing out at the “performance-based contract” that was put on hold and struck out because of incessant voices raised by many who want a fair amount of transparency in running such utilities, the CPI-M leader said the CAG, in a report tabled in the Vidhan Sabha on Monday, cited that there is an indictment of the process and the manner in which the SJNPL is being run. “It is a violation of the 74th Constitutional Amendment, as pointed out in the report.”
“Now, the election to the Shimla Municipal Corporation has been announced. It is scheduled to be held on May 2. I request you ensure that the performance-based contract is put on hold and a team may be constituted to look into the fact as to why the conditions have been changed time and again.
“I have already pointed out the nexus existing between some of the officers of the utility and a private company that is almost certain of winning the contract. The conditions have been tailored made ensuring a cakewalk for this company.”
Earlier, Panwar in letter to World Bank Country Director Auguste Tano Kouame demanded reviewing the decision of the bank regarding the Shimla water scheme.
“The decision of the bank raising pertinent objections to the current tender placed by the SJNPL for the performance-based contract is commendable. I have been raising these issues with the bank and the state government right since the beginning of the tender process.
“There are blatant violations in the tender process that suggest deep connivance of officials of the water utility with a particular company that is almost certain to win the contract.”
Tikender told the media that there is need to scrap the SJNPL that has been registered under the Companies Act by the previous BJP government.
He said renaming the utility as it was done in 2016-17, Greater Shimla Water Supply and Sewage Circle (GSWSSC) and transfer the entire utility to the Shimla Municipal Corporation, which is and should have been the sole agency to run water and sewage utility in Shimla town, as mandated under the 74th Constitutional Amendment.
As per the project with an outlay of $250 million (Rs 1,813 crore), it will cater to the demand of Shimla Planning Area, comprising suburbs Kufri, Ghannatti and Shoghi, for an estimated population of 4.13 lakh by 2050.
As per records of the state Urban Development, Shimla, planned for a maximum population of 16,000 during the British Raj, is now home to 2.47 lakh people with a floating population of 75,000 as per the census of 2011.
For over a decade this tourist town has been getting water supply once in two or three days, largely during the peak summer. In some localities, the water supply is once a week.
–IANS
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