AMRITSAR SAHIB, Punjab—Shortly after the completion of the entrance plaza of sanctum sanctorum Sri Harmandir Sahib, a big scam in the purchase of marble used in the plaza has come to fore. Information obtained from the Public Works Department through RTI reveals some shocking facts about the use of low quality marble by the contractor firm hired to purchase and acquire marble slabs.
Sharing the development with Sikh24, Amritsar resident Bawa Gurdeep Singh informed that he had sought information about the plaza project by moving an RTI plea before the Executive Engineer of PWD (Amritsar) on September 25, 2017. He added that the information availed through RTI doesn’t reveal the exact expenditure cost, but portrays the use of marble worth Rupees 352 million for the entire project.
Bawa Gurdeep Singh further informed that it has been revealed in the information obtained through RTI that the marble was purchased from Makrana (Rajasthan) for Rupees 26,354 per square meter or Rupees 2,927 per square foot. Raising questions over the quality of marble, he said that the contractor used B and C grade marble instead of A grade, which is often thrown off by the marble makers in Makrana.
Bawa Gurdeep Singh further informed that the PWD’s information reveals that the cost of total marble used was Rupees 272.3 million, but the payment made against marble purchase was 352.1 million. He questioned that why an excess payment of Rupees 80 million was made for the purchase of marble.
Smelling preset fixing in allotting of the contract for this project costing Rupees 885.9 million, Bawa Gurdeep Singh said that only one firm had filled the tenders for this project and that firm was allotted project violating the rule of repeatedly giving tenders upto three times.
It is pertinent to note here that the entrance plaza project was commenced by the former SAD-BJP led Punjab government on September 6, 2011. Initially, one year timing was fixed for completing this project, but the project could complete in September, 2016 only – exactly after five years.
Meanwhile, Bawa Gurdeep Singh has demanded an inquiry into this scam from the Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu.
