TURA, Sept 19: A contractor who was denied a project for allegedly failing to pay a “fee” to obtain the work has blown the lid over the bribery scandal engulfing the Garo Hills where work orders are allegedly given to those who can pay the highest figure to the engineers.
Tura contractor Tarseng Ch Sangma who has taken the SDO of PHE Bajengdoba to court over taking a Rs 30,000 bribe to clear his bill and failing to release his dues, has levelled another charge over contracts changing hands at the whims and fancies of the engineers, indicating that the corruption disease is widespread in the department.
He has filed a writ petition in the Meghalaya High Court against another case relating to the same department in North Garo Hills.
Another pre-sedimentation tank construction under Bajengdoba PHE department for Sualmari water supply scheme was allotted to another contractor by the name of Sanjeev Das on 27th of August 2022.
The work order and working estimate for contractor Sanjeev Das was allegedly cleared by the same SDO Kedia G Momin to the Superintendent Engineer and Executive Engineer of PHE.
What transpired in between is a mystery, but the work order for Das was cancelled and given to the petitioner Tarseng Ch Sangma.
“The SDO Bajengdoba is indulging in malicious practice and abusing her official capacity. She instructed the Superintendent and Executive Engineers to cancel the contract of Das and give it to me. The same work estimate was given in my favour by Kedia G Momin. But again, soon after, she asked for my work order to be cancelled and gave it to another contractor by the name of Smti Berina R Marak. Tenders are being sold to the highest bidder in bribe money,” accuses contractor Tarseng Ch Sangma.
He has filed a separate writ petition on this case, WP No. 210 of c2023 with the Meghalaya High Court.
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