BHOPAL: In a latest development to the alleged Rs 800 cr advance payment ‘scam’ investigations, the then engineer-in-chief (EnC) of water works department (WRD) – Rajeev Kumar Suklikar – has reportedly denied any wrongdoing on his part while emphasising that everything was done as per a enduring ‘system’.
In his statement to the Madhya Pradesh economic offences wing (EOW) he maintained that advance payments were made as per the protocol that was being followed in every project executed by this department over the last many years and, the same can be verified by summoning his predecessors and recording their statements as well, sources say.
Suklikar has been questioned by EOW for the last three days. While investigators refused to comment anything on this case citing pending investigations, sources in the WRD believe Suklikar’s statement may take this case to next level.
The former EnC also said that the payments were being done in the same manner for years to save the government from incurring additional financial burden on its treasury owing to inflation.
However, to convert this inquiry into a criminal case, EOW is trying to collect more evidence. They are likely to summon the then secretary of the former chief secretary M Gopal Reddy soon, say sources.
“In case EOW goes deeper into the so-called ‘system’ more skeletons would tumble out of the closet. Investigators should go beyond these seven tenders intended after targeting a group of bureaucrats, and proceed by constituting an SIT so that payment mode of each and every tender that was floated in the last 15 years can be examined. I am sure the companies which took advance payments would mind naming individuals who took share from it. Results would be interesting,” said an IAS officer wishing not to be quoted.
It's alleged that a major chunk of the advance payment received by these companies were reverted to influential leaders.
This case was handed over to the EOW by the state government to ascertain whether advance payments were made to contractors by changing the payment schedule without government’s approval.
Probe ambit was restricted to the role of then engineer-in-chief, chief engineer (procurement) and a former chief secretary but if Suklikar’s statement is anything to go by, the EOW will have to look back into similar payments in all the WRD projects so far.
A departmental inquiry by the water resources department (WRD) – after BJP returned to power – found that these officers had changed the conditions of the tenders without the government’s permission and on ‘verbal’ directives of the then additional chief secretary.
EOW had registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) against four officers of the Water Resources Department including a the then EnC to investigate ‘unauthorised advance payments’ of Rs 877 crore to seven private companies to which tenders worth Rs 3333 crore were awarded for construction of pressurised pipe canal system. The General administration department (GAD) has given its nod to the state EOW for investigating the role of the engineers.
As per an official release from the WRD, these seven tenders were approved by the department for construction of dam and pressurised pipe canal system on turnkey basis of seven irrigation projects between August 2018 and February 2019. Scope of work of acceptance tenders was mainly to construct the dam and lift the water from the reservoir to supply water for irrigation at fixed pressure by setting pump house, pressurized pipe line along with control equipment in the designed area.
It was Chief Engineer, Ganga Kahar, Rewa who brought to the notice of the Government the fact that the condition mentioned in the payment schedule was relaxed by the order of the Government of MP GG / 04 / 2019-20 dated 27 May 2019 for the Gond mega project, say sources. As per the official release, no such order has been issued from the government level.
“For this, a copy of the file and order related to the Chief Engineer and Chief Engineer (Procurement) was obtained. It was found that an order related to annulment of the condition was issued by the Chief Engineer to all the Chief Engineers from his level without obtaining the approval of the government” officials say. Chief Engineers of the concerned projects and other field officers also processed payments of materials for the work of canals and pressurized pipes much before the projects started in violation of set norms, they added.
