SUMIT SHARMA
JAMMU: The Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) is learnt to have ordered a detailed inquiry into the execution and billing of a solar-lighting project worth ₹28.61 lakh, after questions were raised over whether the equipment installed at various sites actually conforms to the technical specifications approved for the work.
The inquiry assumes significance amid allegations that an IoT-based system stipulated as part of the solar-lighting arrangement was not installed, with only plain solar lights allegedly put up at the sites.
The probe will now examine whether the components supplied and installed match those mentioned in the tender, work order, measurement records and bills processed by the JMC Electric Division.
According to official records available with The News Now, the work was allotted to Jamwal Associates, Janipur, for supply, installation, testing and commissioning of solar lights at parks and other locations falling across wards 1 to 75.
The allotment order dated April 4, 2026, shows the contractor as the lowest bidder at 42.36 per cent below the advertised/analysed rate, against an advertised cost of around ₹49.64 lakh and administrative approval of approximately ₹49.92 lakh.
The work involved installation of 78 solar lights at identified locations, including Nagrota Park, Labour Park Paloura, Haiderpur Park Janipur, the area opposite HPCL Sakhi Jammu-Janipur, Park Roop Nagar, Tawi Park Nagrota, Sub-Major Nain Singh Park Sainik Colony and Parks-I and II in Trikuta Nagar.
The tender and work documents describe an integrated solar PV lighting system comprising a 35-watt LED fixture, solar panel, charge controller, lithium-iron-phosphate battery, automatic switching and other electrical and safety components. The documents also prescribe testing and certification requirements for the LED fixtures.
The principal solar-light item was measured at 78 units at ₹29,329 each, amounting to approximately ₹22.87 lakh. The records further show 566 metres of 80-mm GI pipe valued at about ₹4.93 lakh, besides earthwork and other civil and structural components.
The detailed work sheet includes RCC work, centering and shuttering, MS plates, holding-down bolts, steel reinforcement and carriage of construction material. After the contractor’s quoted reduction of 42.36 per cent, the work value was recorded at ₹28,61,778.
An invoice raised by Jamwal Associates on June 15, 2026, for ₹28,61,778 covers supply, installation, testing and commissioning of 35-watt solar lights, including foundations and two 200-watt panels per unit. The first-and-final bill and measurement records indicate that payment was processed against the quantities recorded, with verification and signatures of officials of the JMC Electric Division.
The matter has taken another turn following an allegation attributed to the contractor that an earlier bill of around ₹20 lakh was subsequently revised to nearly ₹25 lakh.
These allegations have not been independently established. The detailed inquiry is expected to determine the circumstances surrounding the preparation, revision and processing of the bills and ascertain whether the amounts claimed corresponded with the work actually executed.
Investigators are also expected to examine the role of officials involved in measurement, inspection, certification and recommendation of payment, besides scrutinising whether the contractor fulfilled all contractual obligations relating to quality, workmanship, warranty, testing and technical compliance.
A key focus of the probe will be a physical and documentary comparison of the solar lights installed at the identified locations with the equipment specified in the tender and billed to the corporation.
The inquiry is likely to examine the approved specifications, tender conditions, work order, measurement books, material-supply records, inspection reports, testing certificates, photographs, invoices and payment documents to establish whether the specified components—including the alleged IoT functionality—were actually supplied and installed.
If the inquiry establishes that equipment or components were billed but not installed, officials will have to determine the extent of any technical or financial irregularity and fix responsibility accordingly.
The tender conditions reportedly place responsibility on the contractor for maintaining quality, workmanship, warranty and compliance with the prescribed technical parameters, while requiring testing and certification before release of payment.
Meanwhile, separate administrative action has also been sought concerning Orderly, whose present assignment reportedly involves work connected with salary processing of permanent and NGO employees. A letter concerning his assignment has also been sought.
The developments have placed the JMC Electric Division’s handling of the solar-lighting project under closer scrutiny, particularly over the certification and payment process.
The documents presently available establish the sanctioned work, contractual value, quantities, technical specifications and billing, but do not by themselves establish that any official or contractor committed wrongdoing.
The detailed inquiry will therefore be crucial in determining whether the project suffered from a mere technical or specification lapse—or whether the discrepancies point towards financial irregularities, incorrect billing or failure to execute the work in accordance with the sanctioned specifications.
