Raids conducted at 7 places, Rs 67 lakh cash seized
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 26: The Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) today registered a First Information Report (FIR) against National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) the then Regional Officer Jammu Hem Raj, contractor Rakesh Kumar Chaudhary and some unknown persons and conducted raids at seven places across Jammu, Chandigarh and Ropar and seized Rs 67 lakh cash and some documents.
The case has been registered in Rs 9.34 crore worth improvement and routine maintenance of Lakhanpur-Jammu section of National Highway. According to the CBI, the work had been allotted in gross violation of terms and conditions of the tender.
After registration of case, the CBI teams today conducted searches at houses and offices of Hem Raj , who is an IDSE officer and Rakesh Kumar Chaudhary, resident of Gandhi Nagar, contractor at Jammu, Chandigarh and Ropar.
The CBI said Rs 65 lakh cash was recovered from the premises of Chaudhary and Rs 2 lakh from Hem Raj.
Besides cash, the CBI has also seized incriminating documents, hard disks and other digital evidence during the raids.
A CBI handout said the case No. RC0042021A0004 was registered on the basis of preliminary enquiry conducted by CBI Anti Corruption Bureau Jammu on the allegations that Chaudhary through its Proprietor Rakesh Kumar Chaudhary entered into criminal conspiracy with unknown officers and officials of Regional Office of NHAI Jammu and got the work or tender for improvement and routine maintenance of Lakhanpur-Jammu section worth Rs 9.34 crore in gross violation of terms and conditions of the tender.
Investigation by the CBI revealed that Hem Raj dishonestly favoured the contractor while awarding him the tender. It further revealed that experience certificates submitted by Chaudhary along with his bid didn’t mention whether the road constructed by him from Atholi to Palali section in Kishtwar district was a 02/04/06 lane highway.
On the other, four other successful bidders in their experience certificates had specifically mentioned that the roads constructed by them were 02/04/06 lane highway.
“Tender Evaluation Committee headed by Hem Raj, the then Regional Officer, National Highway Authority of India deliberately overlooked this fact while processing the bid of M/s Rakesh Kumar Chaudhary and consequently favourably processed the bid,’’ the handout said.
Moreover, it added, experience certificate submitted by M/s Rakesh Kumar Chaudhary were found to be fake and forged. In this manner, the accused persons cheated the National Highway Authority of India and undue favour was extended to the firm.
Further investigations in the case are in progress.
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