Huge irregularities in BWSSB purchases, says CAG report

The Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) report has found large scale irregularities in procuring material used for borewell maintenance by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).

The report tabled in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday has found misappropriation of funds aggregating to Rs 10.42 crore through fictitious purchases and excessive charging of material to borewells.

The Board’s defective estimates facilitated huge variations in procurement of material meant for borewell maintenance. 

No survey was conducted, and as a result the estimates did not even identify the borewells requiring maintenance.

Even the indents of purchase have no basis and, pumps were purchased without any competitive prices. The suppliers had provided insufficient details of pumps supplied, the report said.

The reports state that BWSSB had purchased materials against fake sanctions during 2008-2011.

The engineer-in-chief had issued 1,245 purchase sanctions authorising procurement of borewell materials for three divisions. However, the same divisions purchased materials against 2,124 purchase sanctions, purported to have been given by the engineer-in-chief.  There was absence of mechanism to guard against manipulations. 

The reports also states the engineer-in-chief of the Board had failed to notice fake sanction orders. The BWSSB did not conform to the Karnataka Public Works department Stores Manual and the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act, the report said.