Coming down heavily on the State Government for encouraging and getting indulged in rampant corruption across Jharkhand, former Chief Minister Arjun Munda demanded a high-level probe by a central agency in the Icha Dam corruption case, due to which a senior IAS officer was transferred.
Addressing media persons here on Wednesday, Munda said that there was a huge conspiracy behind tender process of the dam which comes under Swarnarekha Multipurpose Project and the incumbent government was planning to share the booty of over Rs650 crore sanctioned by the Central Government.
The Rs697 crore tender for Icha Dam was floated by the Government in February this year where three companies had shown their interest. While two companies were rejected on technical grounds, a construction firm named Soma Constructions remained the single bidder in the project. The tender process was cancelled because of single bidder by a committee of the Water Resources department. The CM then asked for law and Finance department’s opinion on the matter.
The file was again sent to tender committee which decided to reject the tender process due to a single bidder. Meanwhile, the company filed a petition in the Jharkhand High Court, which gave decision in favour of the firm. After the High Court’s decision the department sought AG’s opinion who had asked the government to challenge the order before a division Bench in the court.
However, the Government did not file an lPA and the file is still stuck in the department due to alleged pressure from the ‘higher authorities’.Munda said that according to Central Vigilance Commission and PWD code tender process is cancelled in case a single bidder is there. “If a single bidder resurfaces again in the second bidding process, then according to the PWD code, a high-level committee can take an appropriate decision. When the matter has reached the court and the AG and Additional AG have opined to file an lPA why the government is delaying it,” said the former CM.
“It is a clear case of partisan approach adopted by the Government. This is a huge case of corruption. The government seems to share the booty of Rs697 crore. And if it is not so, then why the government is not making things clear in the courtIJ Why the opinions of AG, Additional AG, law Department and other officials are being ignoredIJ It is a high-level conspiracy and it seems that the CM is responsible and giving shelter to the people who are orchestrating this corrupt scheme. It is a matter of probe as to what level there was interference in the tender process,” Munda added.
Demanding a Central level probe in the alleged corruption case Munda sought that the government must file an lPA in the High Court at the earliest. “The state loses a lot if such kind of corruption case figures in Centrally funded schemes. If the government is honest the matter should be probed thoroughly. Prima facie government’s involvement in corruption case can’t be denied,” he added.
Munda also said that there are middlemen in Delhi who have been engineering the corruption cases. “I have information that the middlemen have got strong backup from corridors of power in Jharkhand and Rs 1 core deal has taken place in past three-four days,” he said adding that even the bureaucrats of the state are behaving weirdly because of political weakness.
“If an SP is making adverse comments against a DIG rank officer in written communication it simply means that the SP has some political support. This is because of administrative failure in the State,” he added.