HC orders inquiry against former Vadodara civic chief over contract process
Gujarat HC observed that the officer appears to have illegally granted the contract in 2015-16 for Harni lakefront project to Kotia Projects.
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court on Thursday ordered a departmental inquiry against the then Vadodara municipal commissioner in connection with the January 18 boat tragedy after observing that, prima facie, he appears to have illegally granted the contract in 2015-16 for Harni lakefront project to Kotia Projects.
Twelve students and two teachers were killed after a boat capsized in Harni lake on January 18 this year.
Hearing a suo motu PIL of the incident, the division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha P. Mayee directed the Principal Secretary of Gujarat’s Urban Development and Urban Housing Department to conduct a departmental inquiry against the then Vadodara Municipal Corporation chief and complete it within two months.
The HC also said the role and responsibility of other officials, if any, shall also be duly taken into account during the inquiry.
The procedure prescribed for award of a public contract was given a complete go-by while granting the contract to Kotia Projects, the court observed.
“From the turn of events brought on record from the affidavit of the municipal commissioner, as reflected from the original record in the matter of grant of contract, it is evident the then municipal commissioner of the corporation is responsible to grant contract illegally in favour of Kotia Projects,” the HC said in its order.
“However, this opinion expressed by us be treated as a prima facie opinion to conduct an inquiry against the then municipal commissioner of the corporation as also other officials whosoever they may be,” it added.
As per the incumbency chart of civic chiefs on the VMC website, HS Patel was the municipal commissioner during February 25, 2015 and June 23, 2016.
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