THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Public Works Department has suspended its Thrissur Electronics Division Executive Engineer Anitha George for attempting to give a contract worth Rs 5.75 crore to an unapproved private company, by not following tender norms, to install CCTV cameras in the High Court. Thiruvananthapuram Electronics Assistant Executive Engineer AP Ajith has been handed over the duty.

It was PWD minister Mohammad Riyaz who recommended the action against Anitha George on the basis of the inquiry report submitted by the PWD Chief Engineer. The report stated that there were serious lapses on the part of Anitha George and her office in the tender procedure for the installation of CCTV cameras. Attempts were also made to mislead the High Court and others by spreading false campaigns on the cancellation of the tender. The Executive Engineer had taken an irresponsible stance on the issue.

The Executive Engineer showed partiality by not following tender norms in order to give the contract to a company without a license. The report also stated that the Executive Engineer had not followed to date the direction to re-tender the cancelled tender. The PWD department will also investigate the role of other employees in the move to proceed with the tender process without technical approval.