Pending dues bring SCB to its knees

SECUNDERABAD: Development work at

Secunderabad Cantonment Board

(SCB) has come to a halt due to non-collection of pending dues. The

SCB

is yet to receive crores towards service tax from the

Ministry of Defence

and from residents towards water bills. The

board

has, at present, taken up work in all the eight civilian wards. The SCB is also overburdened by recent hike in pay scales of employees. The SCB is forced to bear an additional of ` 5 crore towards salary bill.

“The financial position of the Board is not healthy.Officials are advised not to commit any further works at this stage without specific discussions and concurrence,“ SCB chief executive officer

Sujatha Gupta

said in an official communique to all major departments of the board recently. She specifically told the officials of the engineering branch not to commit or start any work “unless and until specifically directed in the public interest.“

The cantonment board invited tenders for work worth around ` 25 crore as part the annual tender for 2015-16. The SCB identified a number of civilian works af ter discussions with engineering officials and civilian ward members. Estimations were prepared and sent to the board for approval, but the board has no money to execute them.

The engineering departments prepared the estimations for works worth ` 20 crore. The board is also unable to maintain even the main roads. The SCB's water wing prepared estimations for ` 3 crore, but all of them are yet to start.

Even as the work earmarked for the year 2015-16 are yet to be taken up, the Board is now busy with its plan to invite the annual tenders for development work for the year 2016-17. “After we collect the work, we will prepare the estimates and send them to the Board for approval,“ said SCB assistant engineer Balakrishna.

The Secunderabad Cantonment Board is likely to hold a meeting with the elected members later this week over the issue.