Hyderabad September 20: Expressing dissatisfaction with the replies given by officials on the EPC (Engineering Procurement and Construction) system being implemented in taking up works related to various departments like irrigation, panchayat raj, roads and buildings, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today directed senior officials of the irrigation and engineering departments to submit a detailed report on the EPC before their next meeting on September 23 and 24.
The officials are preparing to make a powerpoint presentation on the EPC system before the PAC.
Members of the PAC chaired by TDLP deputy leader N Janardhan Reddy met in the Assembly committee hall to discuss the EPC system pertaining to irrigation projects. It is learnt that the members, who included Congress MLCs KR Amos and P Sudhakar Reddy, have grilled the officials on the reasons for payment of mobilisation advances running into hundreds of crores of rupees to private persons or contractors for preparation of irrigation project designs.
Talking to newsmen later, Sudhakar Reddy and Amos said the PAC would recommend to the government to take appropriate action if anyone was found to have indulged in misuse of public money.
The PAC has noticed ‘deviations’ from norms in respect of release of mobilisation advances. Besides, the agencies which were awarded project works were found to have sub-contracted the works in violation of norms.
The officials were asked about the steps taken by them in plugging the loopholes in the EPC system. The PAC would work to protect public money keeping the larger interests of the state in view, they claimed.
–Agencies