CBI registers corruption case against TCS Engineers Ltd, Govt officials & others in Rs 800-crore project fraud
MUMBAI : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a corruption case against the former Chief Manager of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), Tata Consulting Engineers, and other private firms for allegedly causing a loss of over Rs 800 crore to the exchequer through irregularities in a high-value dredging project at Nhava Sheva Port here.
A complaint was registered by the CBI following a preliminary enquiry alleging complicity between port officials of JNPT and the private companies involved, leading to the preparation of inflated estimates, restriction of competition in order to favour international bidders, extension of undue favour to the contractor and suppression of reports of independent experts and organisations.
The case, registered on June 18, alleges that a criminal conspiracy was hatched between senior officials of JNPA and representatives of private entities involved in the Capital Dredging Project, which aimed to deepen the port’s navigational channel to facilitate the entry of larger vessels.
According to the CBI, a consortium of a Mumbai-based company and a Chennai-based dredging firm was awarded contracts under the project, while Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE), Mumbai, acted as the Project Management Consultant (PMC).
The allegations of pecuniary advantage obtained by private companies as a result of abuse of official position by JNPA officials, resulting in a huge wrongful loss to the exchequer between 2003 and 2014 (first phase of the project) and the period from 2013 to 2019 (second phase of the project), was also enquired, the CBI said.
During Phase-I of the project, JNPA allegedly made excess payments of Rs 365.90 crore to contractors based on inflated claims of over-dredging. Subsequently, in Phase-II, which overlapped with the maintenance period of Phase-I, the agency claims another Rs 438 crore was paid, despite no corresponding dredging work being substantiated in Phase-I or its maintenance phase.
The accused involved in the CBI case are – Sunil Kumar Madabhavi, the then Chief Manager (PP&D), JNPT, Devdutt Bose, Senior General Manager, Tata Consulting Engineers Limited, Tata Consulting Engineers’ head office in Mumbai, BoskalisSmit India LLP, Jan De Nul Dredging India Private Limited and unknown public servants and private persons.
The CBI has invoked charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, and corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Source : India Today
