Dumped sand sold to school, maintain PWD officials

VELLORE: The e-challan of an auction uploaded on the district administration’s official WhatsApp group, which stated that Rs 38,250 was remitted to the Vellore district treasury was not the proceeds of an auction, but that of a sale in which only one party participated, PWD sources said.

However, the e-challan stated that the auction was held on December 30.

The issue came to light, when a senior AIADMK functionary approached the PWD and asked to know where the auction was to be held and was shocked after he was informed that it was already over and that the sand had been sold to the school management committee.

Annoyed, the functionary, who refused to be named, then pulled up the PWD official demanding to know why the procedure of announcing an auction through either a notification or by tom tom in busy areas was not carried out. “The PWD official was unable to reply and hence cut the connection,” he told DT Next.

Elaborating he said, “the whole issue smacks of a conspiracy to ensure that the person who dumped the sand in the first place was given a chance to remove it using the sale as an excuse, with even now officials refusing to name the person responsible for the whole mess.”

When this reporter dialed the mobile number given in the challan, it turned out to be that of the PWD superintendent, who then gave the number of the PWD AE. When the AE was asked about the “auction,” the official said “it was sold to the school itself based on the orders of superior officers.” Asked why the auction procedure was not followed, he said, “in such seized sand cases it is usually sold to one person,” he said.

Asked what the department proposed to do about the remaining sand, he said, “there was nothing left after 15 units were sold.” Asked who purchased it, he said, “the school management committee bought it.”