Vigilance Directorate Serves Show-Cause Notices to 24 PWD Engineers Over School Classroom Construction Irregularities

Twenty-four engineers in the Public Works Department have received show-cause notices from Delhi's Vigilance Directorate regarding alleged construction violations for government school classrooms. The Directorate of Vigilance claims improper surveys and project splitting led to significant cost overruns and irregularities. Engineers have 14 days to respond to the charges.

Twenty-four engineers from Delhi's Public Works Department (PWD) have been served show-cause notices by the Vigilance Directorate over alleged violations and irregularities in the construction of school classrooms, officials said on Monday.

According to the Directorate of Vigilance (DoV), the engineers received these notices on July 26 and were given 14 days to submit their replies. The irregularities allegedly stem from an inadequate study of site conditions prior to estimating costs and floating tenders in 2015-16.

The Vigilance Directorate claims that improper surveys, project splitting, and unauthorized cost increases led to financial overruns exceeding Rs 326 crore, while additional classroom requirements were not appropriately assessed. Moreover, substantial discrepancies in construction costs were reported, with expenditure reaching Rs 2,292 per square foot compared to the advised Rs 1,200. The irregularities were also corroborated by a Central Vigilance Commission report, revealing extra expenditures and over-constructed toilet blocks.