Staff Reporter

Shillong, Dec 1: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) has demanded that NEHU Vice Chancellor PS Shukla initiates action against the executive engineer Jose Cherian, who was indicted by the CBI for gross violation of tendering procedures.  

In a statement, HYC education secretary Enlang Sawian said, “(We) demand that the original note sheet be sent for immediate Forensic examination and order thorough probe against Jose Cherian, as the issue pointed out is just a tip of ice berg.  During the pendency of such a probe, he should not be allowed to hold any position in the office, as he likely to temper more files and intimidate his junior officers. Further Vice Chancellor should initiate action against this officer as per the resolutions already taken by University’s Executive Council.”

He said even after CBI indicted Jose Cherian Executive Engineer on account of gross violation of procedures related to tendering, the Executive Engineer has been allowed to continue in his post by Prof Prabha Shankar Shukla, the beleaguered Vice Chancellor of NEHU.

“In complete disregard to CBI finding that Jose Cherian has caused substantial financial loss to the University, the Vice Chancellor seemingly remains unmoved to follow the decision of the University in initiating action decided by the Executive Council of the University,” he said.

Sawian said the Executive Council after going through CBI inquiry report which directed the University to impose a major penalty to Jose Cherian and also, the separate University level inquiry committee’s report finding him guilty of causing financial loss to the tune of Rs 10.00 Lakhs was accepted by the Executive Council headed by Prof PS Shukla himself, but till date, the decision of the Council to serve him chargesheet and then keep him out of office till charges are finally adjudicated hasn’t not been implemented by the Vice-Chancellor.

“Taking full opportunity of the failure of Vice Chancellor Jose Cherian continued in the office and his very presence has resulted into a much graver tempering of official documents related to construction works,” he said adding “In the event of multiple L1 bidders the choice of the awardee in many instances had not been so far based on any objective, scientific and statutorily valid criterion. The Executive Engineer acted in a prejudicial manner to grant of the award of work to some preferred tenderees by violating extant government norms. It is instructive to note that in a particular case the then Registrar J.N. Nayak wanted to know from the Executive Engineer whether award of work is based on grading/award of marks of their performance or it is based on some other criterion.”

The HYC leader further said that the Executive Engineer in response to this query of the Registrar indicated that performance grading was done in the case of a work namely, “ Replacement of damaged CGI sheet and roof painting in Quarter no P/32,33 and 35 to 58.”

“It can be seen from the note by Jose Cherian that he claimed to have followed CPWD manual, records also show that objective marks were awarded on the past performance of tenderees to select first among the equals, as all the tenderers had quoted same least amount for the work. The practice of award of marks and grades becomes mandatory in such cases; but Jose Cherian refused to follow the same after showing the pretence of following it in just one case,” he said while adding “After this particular work was awarded as per marking/grading, due to some mysterious reasons best known to Jose Cherian, he had actually stopped this practice and resorted to arbitrary award of works.  In effect he exercised undefined arbitrary power in selecting to whom to award a work and thereby denied opportunity to other deserving tenderees, when all the applicants have quoted same lowest value.”

He alleged that among multiple L1 tenderees quoting the same value, which itself is otherwise suspect showing an invisible cartel formation quoting the same lowest value.

Further choosing someone for a certain work without any objective garding is a serious statutory violation of all central government statutes and rules of the University.

It is very interesting to note that the file wherein Cherian mentioned his following of the CPWD manual now stands tampered by Cherian as he has applied white ink on his earlier note giving an impression as if no regulation existed to select First among the lowest equal bidders.

It is pertinent to mention that usage of white ink is strictly prohibited on notes of file, as per government orders and rules in force.

“Had the Vice Chancellor acted in time and removed this officer from the chair as he was indicted by CBI as well as internal inquiry of the University, concerned vested interests who now want to hide their gross misdeed by white ink tampering wouldn’t get such an opportunity to commit such a forgery in the official file. The forgery gets cleared when one compares the original note sheet with the tempered note sheet,” he added.