BBMP vigilance cell to focus on quality checks

The Technical Vigilance Cell under Commissioner (TVCC) — which had become an inefficient entity in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) — has been given powers to check quality by randomly picking projects of its choice.

The TVCC has also been tasked with the responsibility of inspecting works whenever there is a complaint of shoddy execution.

An order to this effect has been passed by BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath to empower the cell, which had lost its sheen.

“The TVCC has been given more powers in line with the original purpose of forming such an entity. So far, all bills were routed through them. This gave little or no opportunity for the engineers to go out and inspect the quality of works,” Girinath said.

As per the new circular, the TVCC has been directed to focus on conducting surprise checks, inspect bills every month on a random basis to verify their accuracy and investigate complaints on civil works.

The TVCC is currently headed by a chief engineer and comprises at least eight executive engineers.

While it was supposed to directly report to the chief commissioner, the TVCC had become an irrelevant body as it did not have a record of reducing the number of discrepancies, violations or recommending action against engineers for shoddy work.

For some time, it was brought under the special commissioner (projects) section.