DNA Exclusive: Delhi PWD Minister Satyendar Jain under CBI lens

Delhi PWD Minister Satyendar Jain's decision to hire 24 architects to set up a creative team for the Public Works Department through a detective agency has come under Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) scanner.

Acting on the Lieutenant-Governor's (L-G) recommendation, the CBI is expected to file a preliminary inquiry or register a case, sources told DNA. It has been alleged that the minister tweaked the tender documents to facilitate the contract for hiring 24 professionals who were to work on Mohalla clinics and other PWD projects.

The private company, Soni Detective and Allied Services Private Ltd, owned by Sanjay Verma, Rekha Verma and Raj Singh Naulakha, was given the contract for hiring the best brains from the country's top architectural colleges.

The CBI has registered a separate inquiry against Jain, based on an Income-Tax report over alleged hawala transactions for buying land. Jain has refuted all allegations.

The scrutiny of documents has revealed that the detective agency was ineligible for bidding but the minister tweaked the tender process to bring it on board. It has been learnt that CBI director Alok Kumar Verma recently directed investigators to carry out a probe.

Documents accessed by DNA state, "As per a communication from the office of Minister of PWD (Satyendar Jain) dated September 1, 2015, Engineer-in-Chief (Projects) was directed to hire 16 professionals for a creative team. The communication also specified the remuneration for each of the categories."

Accordingly, the PWD invited applications. But on February 25, 2016, the minister issued another directive saying that 24 professionals were required. Jain also spoke about the qualifications and the "trending market rate" -- from Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh per month. "It was specified in the communication that this service provider shall be paid a percentage-based service charge. It is not clear on what basis this requirement in terms of numbers was fixed and how figures for remuneration were arrived at," the document stated.

Interestingly, the probe found that there was no document to show that any market survey was done to reach the trending market rate of Rs 1 lakh. "Also, there was no analysis to justify the requirement in terms of numbers and categories. The supply of manpower (professionals) through an outsourcing agency was also not justified when this option cost more...," the document stated.

During investigation, it was found that Jain tampered with the tender documents. "The communication dated February 25 mentioned that the creative team will be hired through architectural firms. Clause 1.8 of the Notice of Invitation to Tenders issued for hiring the creative team stated that the bidding agency should be an architect or architectural firm/proprietorship firm/company registered under the Companies Act, 1956. The eligibility condition for 'similar work' in clause 2D of Notice of Invitation to Tenders appears to have been tweaked by adding a note mentioning that 'similar work' shall mean 'work of providing manpower services of professional manpower'," the documents stated.

Two companies responded to the tender. Once was an architectural firm -- RSMS Architects Pvt Ltd and the other Soni Detective and Allied Services Pvt Ltd. "Of the two, Soni was finally selected, though it was not an architectural firm," the document stated.

During the probe, it was found that the detective agency run from a room at Madangir in Delhi and its previous experience in developing the corridor (ring Road) between Prembari Pul to Azadpur was taken into account to make the bid eligible.

"Persual of records dealing with the above work reveals that this work mainly involved hiring of data entry operators, stenos, peons, messengers, drivers, security guards, diary dispatches and sweepers, and not highly skilled professionals needed for the creative team," the document stated.

The bid document submitted by Soni revealed that its experience was mainly in housekeeping, integrated facility management and cleaning service. "An agency which specialised in house keeping, security and sanitation services was selected to supply skilled manpower as architects, MBAs, landscape architects, transport planners, urban designers, urban planners, industrial designers and graphic designers," the document said, highlighting the connivance of the minister.

The original communication dated September 1, 2015, from the minister's office as the preliminary estimate for the work stated that the idea is to hire the "best brains from premier educational institutions".

WRONG CHOICE

• In Feb 2016, Delhi PWD minister invites tenders for selecting 24 professionals for creative projects
   
• Two firms respond. One was an architecture firm and the other a detective agency.
   
• Jain appoints the second firm, though it was not qualified. Jain now faces CBI probe