Show cause notices to eight Housing Corporation officials
Senior authorities have issued show-cause notices to eight officials of the Housing Corporation following a Vigilance and Enforcement investigation that uncovered irregularities in the construction of houses for the poor by Rocktree Agencies.
The officials are required to explain why they should not face disciplinary action for recommending approval of bills that allegedly exceeded the value of the work completed.
According to the Vigilance report submitted to the government, Rocktree Agencies, which was responsible for the construction of 14,021 houses in layouts at Paidivada Agraharam, Gangavaram, Nanginarapadu, Nadupuru, and Gollalapalem-2 on the outskirts of the city, submitted bills and procured construction materials that were disproportionate to the actual progress of the work.
The investigation recommended recovering Rs 22.77 crore from the contractor due to excess billing and material withdrawals. Additionally, it called for action against officials who reportedly failed to fulfill their supervisory responsibilities.
Those receiving notices include a former Executive Engineer, three Deputy Engineers, and four Assistant Engineers who were employed at the district housing office during the relevant period.
Vigilance officials noted that bills should be certified solely based on verified work completion and after confirming that the issued materials were properly utilized. However, the officers were criticized for approving bills without sufficient field verification.
In a related development, higher authorities have recommended disciplinary action against 27 Ward Amenities Secretaries for alleged negligence in supervising ground-level activities, monitoring material usage, updating project details online, and completing geotagging of beneficiaries at five locations.
Further actions will be determined after the officials provide their explanations.