LUCKNOW: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) carried out raids in 40 locations across four states on Monday in connection with Rs 1,600-crore Gomti river front scam.
Apart from Uttar Pradesh, other states where raids were conducted include West Bengal, Rajasthan and Delhi.
The searches took place after CBI's Lucknow anti-corruption unit registered a fresh FIR in connection with Rs 1,600 crore river front scam against then 16 public servants, 173 firms/and other people on July 2.
"While probing the case against eight engineers after registering FIR in 2017, criminality surfaced on the part of other public servants and firms," said CBI officials.
Hence, a fresh FIR was lodged. Soon after coming to power, Yogi government had constituted a committee under retired Allahabad high court judge Alok Kumar Singh, which had indicated prima facie irregularities in the project in its report dated May 16, 2017.
Thereafter, an FIR was registered at the Gomti Nagar police station on June 19, against eight engineers.
The state government subsequently sought a CBI probe into the matter in July 2017 and in November same year the CBI took over the case.
Of Rs 1,600 crore, then Samajwadi Party government had sanctioned Rs 1,437-crore for Gomti river front development.
The project involved construction of a rubber dam to maintain its water level, a stadium, an amphitheatre for 2,000 people, cycle and jogging tracks, a play area for children and a musical fountain but only 40 percent of it could be completed in the budget alloted till March 2017.
