The Punjab government has chargesheeted more than 30 serving and retired superintendents and executive engineers of the PWD for the delay in overlaying of roads being maintained by Rohan Rajdeep Tollways Limited.
It is alleged that the company delayed overlaying (carpeting) of roads that has to be done at regular intervals as per the built-operate-transport (BOT) contract and no action was initiated against the company.
As most of the contracts of the company are going to end in a few years, the delay, as per the government, has benefitted the company to the tune of crores of rupees for overlaying in its contract but kept on collecting toll charges from commuters as per the increased rates signed in the agreement. As per estimates by the PWD, the delay in layering saved around ₹40 crore for the company.
According to a letter sent by the government to the chief engineer (headquarters), PWD, it has been asked to prepare a draft of the chargesheet against the officials responsible for the delay in overlaying ever since 2009 when the first carpeting was due by the company on a particular road.
“Please send the draft of the chargesheet of the undersigned officials for ‘major punishment’ within seven days,” reads the letter dated September 9, a copy of which is with HT. Among chargesheeted, at least seven, VS Dhindsa, Arvinder Singh, JS Mann, NP Singh, NR Goyal, Raj Kumar and Tej Ram Kathnoria, have retired as chief engineers whereas Arun Kumar, DV Goyal, Paramjyoti Arora are working as chief engineers.
Officials chargesheeted are VS Dhindsa, Kulwant Singh, DV Goyal, Rakesh Garg, Charanjeet Singh Bains, Aadesh Gupta, Pardeep Kumar, NP Singh, Parvinderjit Singh, SS Dhindsa, Yuvraj Bindra Singh, Rajpreet Singh Sidhu, Arvinder Singh, Inderjit Singh, Harvinder Kumar Walia, RP Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Malwinder Singh, Davinder Kumar, Sarabjit Singh Sidhu (retd superintendent engineer), Paramjyoti Arora, Inderjit Singh Dhanoa (retd), Manjit Singh (retd), Sarabraj Kumar, Ginder Singh, JS Mann, Raj Kumar, Arun Kumar, Deepak Goyal, Tej Ram Katneria, Rajinder Kumar, Kamal Nain, Davinder Kumar and Inderjit Singh.
The roads being maintained by Rohan and Rajdeep include Dakha-Halwara-Raikot-Barnala, Morinda-Kurali-Siswan road, Kirtapur Sahib-Nangal-Una road, Jagraon-Nokodar, Patiala-Samana-Patran, and Balachaur-Garshankar-Hoshiarpur-Dasuya.
“Earlier, these officials were issued show-cause notice but their replies were not found satisfactory. The company in contention has also not paid the penalties levied for the delay on overlaying,” a senior government privy to the development said.
Senior government officials are terming it a “scam” as the company was allowed to increase the rates which it has to as per contract but no serious effort was made to penalise the company.
Money collected by the construction companies has remained a key political issue as well and the chief minister himself announced the closure of two Ludhiana road toll plazas in Sangrur. He himself went to Sangrur to announce the closure. However, later it emerged that the closure was announced on the last date when the contract with the construction firm was ending. All attempts to contact Rohan Rajdeep Tollways Limited remained futile.
