BENGALURU: Top officials of the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), including its Chairman, will depose before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Legislature on December 18 in connection with the alleged irregularities relating to borewell tenders.
This is in light of the report submitted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in 2011-2012 to which the BWSSB had given its response recently, said a highly placed source. The report cited lapses on part of the BWSSB which resulted in “misappropriation of the Board’s funds aggregating to `10.42 crore through fictitious purchases and excessive charging of material for borewells over a period of three years.”
A total of 13 BWSSB officials are alleged to be involved in the scam. “Some have been promoted to higher posts while some have retired,” the source said.
The CAG report charged that the procurement process followed by the BWSSB for materials required for maintenance of borewells in the former CMC areas did not conform to norms.
The report also charged that the fact the irregular procurements had continued for three financial years from 2008 to 2011 indicated the co-ordinated efforts of unscrupulous suppliers and officials to subvert the checks and balances.
BWSSB officials had procured materials from three fictitious firms. Halasuru Gate Police filed an FIR after complaints by the Board following the audits. The government also entrusted the matter to the Lokayukta in September 2011. The Lokayukta had called for recovery of `2.97 crore from those contracted with the job.
The BWSSB has defended itself strongly in its response submitted to the CAG.