Karnal MC fixes time limit for engineering wing to clear bills

Tribune News Service

Karnal, September 19

With the target of overcoming complaints of inordinate delay in the processing of bills of contractual agencies by the engineering branch, the Karnal Municipal Corporation (KMC) has fixed a time frame for each and every dealing branch in the chain system for clearing bills.

The KMC will verify and process the bills in a fixed-time frame, otherwise, action will be initiated. The authorities claimed that it would not only help in minimising the financial sufferings of the agencies, but also in the image building of the civic body.

Responsibility to be fixed

I have directed all concerned to adhere to the time frame strictly. If any lapses are noticed,the official concerned will be held responsible and disciplinary action will be taken. —Ajay Tomar, Commissioner, KMC

“It has been observed that there is an unnecessary delay in processing of bills of contractual agencies due to which the agencies do not take interest in the execution of the ongoing work and do not come forward for tendering of future projects. To mitigate the financial sufferings of the agencies and for image building of the corporation, a standard operating procedure (SOP) has been framed,” said Ajay Tomar, Commissioner, KMC.

After the submission of the bill by the agency, the engineer in-charge will send it to the JE concerned on the same day, who will take four days to check the work and complete all formalities. He will further submit the bill to the Municipal Engineer (ME) in-charge, Tomar added.

The ME will take two days to check the measurement and related documents of the bill and will submit the same to the Executive Engineer in-charge of the work. He will further take one day for checking the bill and intimate the same to the monitoring committee along with the prescribed proforma, Tomar asserted.

The monitoring committee will check the site within two days and the XEN will send the bill file along with a report of the committee to the Superintending Engineer or the Chief Engineer, who will take one day for checking the bill and submit the same to the accounts branch along with the remarks and recommendation regarding the payment. If any approval and alteration is required then it may forward directly to the Commissioner for approval, he said.

The Commissioner further said the account branch would take two days to pass the bill after necessary checks and then submit it to the Commissioner’s office for granting financial approval of the payment duly checked. After the approval, the accounts branch will make an entry in the concerned grant, budget, and other relevant records to submit the file and records to the audit branch on the same day. Then the audit branch will take three days to audit the bill and submit it to the account branch for the payment, which will release the payment on the day of the receipt of the passed bill.

“I have directed all concerned to adhere to the time frame strictly. If any lapses are notice, the official concerned will be held responsible for such lapses and causing a delay in the processing of the bill and accordingly disciplinary action will be taken,” said the Commissioner.

Will help build MC’s image

The authorities claim that it will not only help in minimising the financial sufferings of agencies, but also in the image building of the civic body.

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