Imphal, January 29 2010: Altogether five work orders amounting to Rs 1,71,47,182 have been discovered issued to contractors by one Executive Engineers of the Manipur Industrial Development Corporation (MANIDCO) in a faulty manner without any knowledge of the relevant authority.

The misdeed was discovered in the course of an enquiry conducted by the State Vigilance Commission which has recommended major penalty and recovery of all liabilities.

According to a well-placed source, the funds against which the work orders were issued were meant for Commerce and Industries Department.

The same funds should be used in infrastructure development works at Moreh for promoting border trade.

The five works orders issued by the MANIDCO EE illegally without any knowledge of the Government pertain to construction of compound wall and retaining wall of Trade Centre Moreh, construction of two sentry posts and construction of retaining wall along the diversion road from Moreh Ward No 1 (Lalkai ) to the border bridge.

The work orders pertaining to construction of retaining wall and compound wall of the Trade Centre and sentry post have names of contractors and dates of issuance.

However, work orders for the other works did not have names of contractors nor dates of issuance, informed the source.

The enquiry conducted by the Vigilance Commission detected that all these work orders were issued without receiving technical sanction or expenditure sanction.

Moreover, no documents related to the unauthentic work orders were listed in the office records.

It is assumed that these faulty work orders were prepared by the EE on his own.

Further, the accused engineer could not produce copies of agreements signed with contractors before issuing the work orders nor estimates nor drawings.

For his misdeed, the Vigilance Commission has recommended a departmental enquiry against the engineer and to award major penalty subsequent upon the enquiry.

The Commission further recommended the Commerce and Industries Dept to recover all liabilities.

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