NACC Samut Prakan Inspects 37.7 Million Baht Sculptural Light Poles and Decorative Banyan Trees Along Nong Prue Sub-district Administrative Organization Roads
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) of Samut Prakan Province has conducted an inspection following clues from online media regarding the installation of sculptural light poles shaped like airplanes, which also includes the procurement of Korean banyan trees complete with planters arranged along the entrance and exit roads of the Nong Prue Sub-district Administrative Organization in Bang Phli District, Samut Prakan Province.
Sukrit Tiengkeaw, Director of the NACC office in Samut Prakan Province, together with the anti-corruption operations team and the corruption prevention team, as well as members of the STRONG - Together Against Corruption group of Samut Prakan Province, jointly surveyed the site after receiving tips from the Facebook page "WatchDog" and the Facebook page “CH7HD News'' regarding the issue of installing airplane-shaped sculptural light poles and the procurement of Korean banyan trees with planters, lined up along the roads of the Nong Prue Sub-district Administrative Organization in Bang Phli District, Samut Prakan Province. The total budget allocated for the procurement and installation in the solar cell sculpture airplane and Korean banyan tree roadside decoration project amounts to 37.7 million baht.
During the on-site inspection by the NACC Samut Prakan Provincial Office, information was provided by relevant officials including Udom Klinpuang, Mayor of the Nong Prue Sub-district Administrative Organization, and other officials of the Nong Prue Sub-district Administrative Organization. The Sub-district has carried out a landscape improvement project within the Nong Prue area and installed 354 solar cell sculptural light poles shaped like airplanes along the roads of Nong Prue Sub-district, in the Moo 1, 2, and 3 areas, in the 2020 fiscal year. Additionally, they have procured 800 Korean banyan trees with planters at a total cost of 3,000 baht each, amounting to 2.396 million baht in total.
The Mayor of the Nong Prue Sub-district Administrative Organization clarified that the procurement process adhered to all the standard regulations, with the contract awarded through electronic bidding (e-bidding). He emphasized that the cost of each solar cell sculptural light pole was not 106,800 baht as reported, but 92,715.50 baht per unit instead. Furthermore, the materials used are of high quality, including thick stainless steel with a large, sturdy diameter, and the airplane figures are made from molded stainless steel, ensuring durability.
Nonetheless, the Director of the NACC office in Samut Prakan Province has disclosed the findings from the inspection of the area, revealing that solar cell-powered sculptural light poles in the shape of airplanes have, in fact, been installed along the road. The road is a two-lane street, 6 meters wide, with single-branch light poles standing 8 meters tall, powered by solar energy, and fitted with energy-saving LED lamps of no less than 60 watts. These lamps are encased within the fuselage of the airplane models, with poles spaced 30 meters apart. Additionally, it was observed that Korean banyan trees have been placed in square planters, lined along the roadside as reported by the two Facebook pages.
Furthermore, upon a more in-depth examination, it has been found that the Nong Prue Sub-district Administrative Organization in Bang Phli District has executed a landscape enhancement project for the area by contracting with Bangkok Road Lighting Co., Ltd. as the project partner, overseeing nearly all operations within the Nong Prue Sub-district area from 2019 to 2020, encompassing 12 contracts with a total budget of 97.37 million baht. It is noteworthy that the contractor is the same entity previously involved in the solar cell-powered sculptural Kinnaree light pole project in the Racha Thewa Sub-district, which the NACC committee had previously filed allegations against.
However, the NACC office in Samut Prakan had already conducted an initial inspection in 2021, which at that time found no irregularities in the procurement process for the said project. The office will coordinate to gather all related information for a comprehensive re-examination of the project and seek to understand why local administrative organizations in the Samut Prakan Province have prioritized such costly sculptural light pole projects.
