Every year huge amounts of state and central funds are utilised for disaster management, especially during floods in Assam. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) time to time keeps training the AAPDA Mitras (Friends During Disaster) and also provides them flood rescue equipment and other facilities. In 2023, while procuring AAPDA Mitra kits, providing training to AAPDA Mitras and procuring 16 inflatable rubber boats (IRBs) for 16 districts, anomalies were detected in utilising the AAPDA Mitra scheme funds provided by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The anomalies consisted of the low standard boats and equipment provided, many lives could have been in danger during a disaster management situation for instance flood.
During the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) in November 2016 Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed a 10 Point Agenda for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) that concisely encompasses issues, tools and approaches to address the critical challenges in achieving sustainable development objectives, focusing on local ‘disaster management system’, academic capacity strengthening and harnessing technological advances. One of the points emphasised local capacity-building initiatives. There was a need to develop the capacity and skills of the community so that they could deal with disasters in a more pragmatic manner.
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NDMA implemented the scheme for the training of community volunteers and provided them with amenities and equipment to help the community during disasters like floods.
Under the same scheme, the ASDMA provided training to volunteers last year, procured AAPDA Mitra Kits worth around ₹5 crore and also procured 16 inflatable rubber boats for 16 districts (per boat costs around ₹80,000).
A source in Dispur talking to GPlus on condition of anonymity said, “The NDMA’s funds were misused and there is a huge anomaly in the entire procurement process.” The source explained that when the bill for the AAPDA Mitra Kits was raised, some officials of the ASDMA demanded an enquiry. Later enquiry was also ordered for the procurement of IRBs and the training of the volunteers in Morigaon.
Interestingly two enquiry reports (one on the procurement of AAPDA Mitra Kits and one on the procurement of IRBs) were submitted to the higher authorities but according to the source, no action has been taken on the report findings yet.
One enquiry conducted by a three-member committee, headed by IAS officer Anant Lal Gyani was ordered in August 2023 and the committee submitted the enquiry report in October 2023.
The source said that the IAS officer heading the committee took a leave during the enquiry and the other two members visited all the concerned districts, conducted the enquiry and submitted the report to the Chief Executive Officer of ASDMA and also to the Chief Secretary of the state.
“While submitting the report the IAS officer heading the report did not sign the report,” said the source adding that somehow the IAS officer did not want to get involved in the enquiry, the source alleged. The source revealed that as the IAS officer did not sign the report; the other two members submitted the report to the CEO and the Chief Secretary’s office.
GPlus received a copy of the report and according to the report findings “items supplied were not as per the bidding parameters and specifications”. The findings of the report detected “manipulation of documents” for hiding the facts regarding the supplying of substandard products in the AAPDA Mitra kits worth around ₹5 crore.
The report findings said that the project officer had not shared specification sheets with the concerned inspecting agencies for comparison and references for inspection.
“The inspection sheets were provided with manipulated specifications by removing Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) warranty requirements and OEM details as was submitted in the bid,” said the report.
There were many such observations by the committee and one important observation was that two items namely GPS devices and walkie-talkie devices were not brought into records and kept hidden. The items were not supplied to districts with the AAPDA Mitra kits.
The enquiry found that the items were hidden in a room in Guwahati and after a thorough inspection, it was found that the two items procured were not of the specified brand/make/specification as per the bidding term. “...it directly accounts to a non-compliant claim of around ₹54,88,000,” said the report found.
Among many observations regarding the AAPDA Mitra kits, another item namely the mosquito net as per bidding terms was not supplied by the bidder, said the report.
“As communication was made by the District Project Officer of the District Disaster Management Authority, the concerned project officer, ASDMA reported that the same item is not included under item number 10 with the item rucksack,” said the report adding that no changes/ adjustment in pricing was sought from the bidder for such exclusion of the item, which should have been done since the bid mentioned requirement of mosquito net. The report said that a fictitious claim directly accounts for around ₹19,50,000 for the mosquito net.
Around ₹74,38,000 was processed for payment with the intention of misappropriation of funds from the exchequer, said the report.
The committee scrutinised all records of procurement. The bid for the procurement was awarded to M/S Himangshu Hardware as they were the L1 bidder based on the price they quoted.
In March 2023, fire and emergency services and civil defence were asked by ASDMA to inspect the items as per the bidding clause of ASDMA in terms of qualities and quantities of equipment and submit the report. May 30, 2023 was set as the joint inspection date at Himangshu Hardware Store.
The inspection report was received by ASDMA along with invoices/bills for the items submitted by the vendors. The report mentioned that the procuring entity was uninformed of the authorised persons nominated by the agencies for inspections. The same was objected to by the concerned ASDMA officials in file proceedings in August for bills and invoices.
The report said that when the issue was raised, the project officer, ASDMA provided two authorisation letters (the copies were attached in the report which GPlus has access to).
During the course of the investigation and interaction of the enquiring committee with the concerned issuing officials of the letters, it came to the notice and record of the enquiring committee that the mentioned letters were backdated and officers authorised were not intimated to inspect, said the report.
The committee received letters from Civil Defence regarding the process of investigation a copy of which is available with GPlus.
According to a statement letter provided to the enquiring committee by the Jr. Staff Office of Civil Defence, it was known that Kishore Dutta, project officer of ASDMA had verbally requested over the telephone to look over samples of search and rescue equipment.
The letter from civil defence informed the enquiry committee that there were many loopholes by the project officer of ASDMA for the inspection of AAPDA Mitra kits. The copy of the statement by the Civil defence official is available with GPlus which was also attached to the inquiry committee report.
“We were not aware that it was the inspection of samples for finalisation of items as per make and specification of Tender and no specification of items/specification sheet were provided by the project officer, ASDMA at the time of inspection,” said the statement letter from civil defence.
The enquiry committee observed that there was manipulation done to obtain letters from investigating agencies which were back-dated.
The committee finally suggested in the report that M/S Himangshu Hardware Stores, Sonari (the Bidder) may be blacklisted as per provisions of GeM (Government e-Marketplace), the Assam Public Procurement Act and Rules and all extant provisions.
“Appropriate actions are recommended to initiate against the concerned erring officials whose negligence, intentions and motives could have led to a gross financial irregularity and would have caused a loss to the exchequer,” the report suggested.
The report mentioned that in addition to the enquiry proceedings and factual evidence over the supply of emergency responder kits to 3900 AAPDA Mitras, it is also in the record that two other components (training of AAPDA Mitras and procurement of IRBs) were also handled by the same project officer.
The Dispur source said that for the training component an enquiry was undertaken by the District Commissioner of Morigaon and for the procurement of IRBs with OBM (outboard motor), an expert committee was formed to enquire about the matter.
The expert committee was headed by Commodore KC Choudhury, Honorary Advisor, Assam IWT Development Society and the committee also had members from NDRF, fire and emergency services and inland water transport.
The report by the expert committee was submitted to the CEO, ASDMA in November 2023 and GPlus has a copy of the report.
The report said that the IRS (Indian Register for Shipping) is the ultimate authority to oversee the construction as per the bid document.
The committee did not find any IRS-approved drawing of the IRB specific to the bid document or contract signed with ASDMA.
“The IRS approved GA (general arrangement) drawings submitted by UNIRUB TECHNO LTD in the document belonged to the Cmdt, 7th BN NDRF, Punjab,” said the report.
The report said that since no specific approved drawing was prepared by the builder, the mandatory inspection by the IRS couldn’t have been conducted specifically for the IRBs.
The committee did not find the details of any tests or trials conducted by the IRS for each individual IRB or the OBMs. The committee found the rubber cone attached at the end of the buoyancy tubes to be extremely poor quality. The moulded rubber of the Cone had developed hairline cracks all over the cone, the report said adding that therefore, it would not be able to withstand the impact loads whilst going alongside or lowering, thus endangering the personnel in the boats. The report found many anomalies in the procurement of 16 IRBs and the OBMs.
“The entire project was handled unprofessionally and without any concern for quality control. They didn’t even prepare a GA drawing for the IRB selected for the SDRF, and utilised one prepared for NDRF, Punjab,” said the report.
The committee further suggested that the supplied IRBs along with the Tohatsu OBMs should not be taken over for operation, since they have not been cleared and certified by the inspecting authority, IRS.
So, there were scams in the procurement of rescue and emergency kits for AAPDA Mitras and 16 IRBs with OBMs. The training conducted in Morigaon for AAPDA Mitras also had anomalies, said the Dispur source.
A source in the Morigaon DC office talking to GPlus said that the inquiry on the training is still ongoing and the report will be submitted soon.
The source but informed that the AAPDA Mitra kits had substandard equipment and the ASDMA has brought back the kits.
The Dispur source said that despite of detection of such a huge scam no action has been taken by the senior officials of the ASDMA.
The ASDMA CEO GD Tripathi talking to GPlus said that the builder has been asked to replace the IRBs according to the bid specification. On enquiring about the rescue and emergency kits for AAPDA Mitras, the IAS officer said that he had not seen the report yet. He said that the IAS officer heading the enquiry committee was on leave and he has reconstituted the committee and the enquiry is still ongoing.
IAS officer Anant Lal Gyani, who is also the Additional CEO, ASDMA was heading the AAPDA Mitra kits enquiry talking to GPlus said that during that enquiry he was on election duty and he is conducting the enquiry now.
The Dispur source said that the other members of the committee in October 2023 before submitting the enquiry report showed him the report and he did not want to sign. The members thereafter without his signature submitted the report to the CEO and the chief secretary.
Maybe the IAS officers did not see the report but if the issue was raised in August 2023, why is it that the enquiry by the top bosses of ASDMA has not been completed till now?
Tripathi when questioned why legal action was not taken against the builder which supplied the IRBs with OBMs, said that he has taken action according to the report suggestion. Can't he take legal action for such a huge scam which can even kill people?
The project officer who was handling all the projects where anomalies were detected is still not suspended; will the enquiry not be affected by his presence?
The entire scenario requires immediate attention by authorities and a proper probe by the professional investigating agency is the need of the hour.
