The BESCOM`s vigilance wing noticed a blatant contradiction in a BBMP ‘NOC’ and sought a clarification. The BBMP’s technical vigilance cell immediately spotted the forgery – the letterhead was fake and the signature did not tally with that of the engineer concerned
| The Bescom`s vigilance wing which alerted the BBMP commissioner to the fraud and asked for a verification of the letter and the signature, and the civic authorities realised that the BBMP letterhead had been fabricated, the work order was fake and the signature of the engineer concerned was forged.
The issue pertains to a power connection to an apartment on Benson Cross Road in Jayamahal ward. While looking into the approvals, the vigilance wing found something amiss about the BBMP letter dated January 10, 2012. The letter, purportedly issued by the superintending engineer of TVCC (technical vigilance cell under the commissioner), S Prabhakar, said: “The building plan pertaining to number XXXX, Benson Town has been approved by the BBMP. This plan is okay, it has violated the byelaws, and we have no objections if power connection is given to the building.’’ The obvious contradiction in the letter did not go unnoticed by the Bescom vigilance wing. Enclosing a copy of the letter, the vigilance wing wrote to the BBMP commissioner on November 24 asking about its veracity. “The issue pertains to the NoC issued to the apartment XXX, Benson Cross Road by the BBMP. While inquiring into the power connection issue, we found this letter. We want to verify its credibility. Please look into it, verify if it is issued by the said office, the signature of the official and furnish us the details,’’ the vigilance wing’s communication said. According to a senior official of TVCC, a couple of times in the past, Bescom officials had come to them to cross-check similar letters but nothing had been sought in writing till now. “There has always been a turf war between BBMP and Bescom engineers over road-cutting approvals. Bescom engineers have started this unhealthy trend of fabricating the letters and forging the signatures of BBMP engineers for power connections and road-cutting sanctions. One look at the NoC letter, and we could make out that it was not issued by TVCC,’’ the official said. The commissioner forwarded the letter to TVCC for verification. And the truth was out in a jiffy — first of all, BBMP does not have a letterhead to the effect: “BBMP, Office of the Superintending Engineer (TVCC), NR Square, Bangalore”. Secondly, the letter number is fake and TVCC doesn’t write official letters in such a format. Lastly, the contents are contradictory and the signature is not that of the engineer concerned. TVCC superintending engineer S Prabhakar, under whose signature and seal the NoC was fabricated, has written to his higher-ups about the forgery. |