In two simultaneous developments in the Maharashtra irrigation scam, the Thane ACB officials on Saturday filed a case against five retired Government officials and a private firm owner for alleged irregularities in Kondane project in Konkan region, while their counterparts from Nagpur filed a chargesheet in a local court against give retired Government officials and a private contractor for allegedly conspiring to inflate the cost of the project.
Within days after the BJP-led Maharashtra Government on Tuesday scrapped 94 tenders in 14 irrigation projects floated by the previous Congress-NCP alliance dispensation, the Thane ACB officials booked five retired Government officials for allegedly colluding with the partner of private firm FA Enterprises and inflating the cost of Kondane project to Rs 271 crore. The officials had inflated the cost midway through without taking prior sanction from the State Government for increasing the cost.
Though his does not figure in the FIR, former Irrigation Minister Sunil Tatkare has been under the ACB scanner for the alleged irregularities in the Kondane irrigation scam. The FIR states that the contract was given to FA Enterprises under the influence of certain elected representatives even though the firm did not fulfill the conditions in the tender floated for it.
Meanwhile, in a 6,434 page chargesheet filed before the Special ACB Court in Nagpur, the investigating officials contended that the five retired government had conspired with a owner of private firm GA Constructions to award an irrigation contract in Ghodazari unit of the Gosikhurd national irrigation project, after inflated its cost to the tune of Rs 101.18 crore.
In both the cases, the accused retired officials and partners in the private firm five retired officials and the partner of FA Constructions have been charged under sections the relevant sections of Prevention of Corruption Act and Sections 420 (cheating), 120–b, 109 of the IPC.