Court blocks three GMC accounts

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, January 22: A local court has blocked three accounts of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation, after the civic body allegedly failed to disburse payments to three firms engaged by it twenty five years back.

The GMC has a total of 91 accounts, of which three have been blocked by the sessions court. GMC commissioner S Viswathan said three firms – Intertiol Constructions Limited, SPM Engineers Limited and Zoom Industrial Services Limited – were engaged for water supply works in 1989–90. The works were to the tune of Rs 3 crore.

The works were mired in controversy following public complaints. Thereafter, investigations were conducted by the Bureau of Investigation of Economic Offences (BIEO).

However, the three firms moved the Gauhati High Court which ordered the GMC to release the payments to the firms, inclusive of an interest of 18 per cent. “We told the government about this. The government then formed a committee to look into the issue. However, the committee failed to come up with anything as the BIEO investigations were in progress,” the commissioner said. The firms later moved the sessions court which passed an order yesterday, blocking three accounts of the corporation.