THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau conducted a surprise inspection at the Kerala Bank headquarters on Tuesday, over the allegations of discrepancies in CCTV camera purchase tender proceedings.
The inspection, which began by Tuesday afternoon, continued till night. While Cooperation Minister M Liju said that the move is a normal action when complaints arise, bank officials said that no purchase order has been issued for any dealers.
Vigilance sources said allegations were raised against the bank over its tender proceedings initiated to purchase CCTV cameras and burglar alarms for over 300 branches in the state.
The officials are looking for possible corruption practices and procedural violations in giving a tender in favour of any particular firm. However, sources said that the Special Investigation Unit is verifying the documents; a final say on this can be confirmed only afterwards.
Responding to media questions, Minister M Liju termed it a normal procedure. “When a complaint surfaces, there is nothing wrong in probing into it. Let us wait for the investigation report. Many people have lost their lives and dreams because of the corruption in the cooperative sector, and the government aims to get rid of this,” he said.
Liju also added that the government is in the last phase of inspecting cooperative institutions which suffered a capital erosion, and the potential reasons for the same.
Meanwhile, Kerala Bank vice-president T V Rajesh said that this is a trivial issue, creating a smokescreen before the public. “We had initiated tender proceedings for the purchase and installation of CCTV cameras and burglar alarms. Though a few agencies stepped forward, none of them was found suitable and hence, never proceeded to the level of a purchase order,” he told TNIE.