CBI seeks details of approved works, likely to grill ex-director

The National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTR) officials who got construction works worth `34 crore done at the institute sans tenders between 2009 and 2014 are now ignorant about the same, central bureau of investigation (CBI) sources said on Tuesday.

The National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTR) officials who got construction works worth `34 crore done at the institute sans tenders between 2009 and 2014 are now ignorant about the same, central bureau of investigation (CBI) sources said on Tuesday.

The construction works, funded by the Union ministry of human resources development and carried out when Dr Vijay Agrawal was the director of the institute, are under the CBI scanner since June, 2016.

The CBI had lodged case of cheating, criminal conspiracy and corruption against Agrawal and others for allegedly causing loss to government exchequer by getting construction works done without floating tenders. In July, the CBI raided 20 premises in Bhopal in connection with the case.

According to key sources in the CBI, recently a panel comprising of central public works department (CPWD) experts, NITTTR officials and a CBI sleuth was constituted for the quality audit of the construction works at rates which were up to 900% higher than those prescribed by the CPWD for similar works at central government undertakings.

Out of the `40 crore worth construction works, around `34 crore was given to private contractors. A week ago, the panel visited the institute for its first meeting and to take stock of the construction works. However, the NITTTR officials — part of top brass of the institute which gave clearance to the works and approved payments to 15-20 private contractors — said they did not have any knowledge about the construction works.

The officials told the panel that it would take time for them to gather details of the construction works and payments. Senior CBI officials then visited the institute and asked them how they did not have the details of works approved by senior officials, including them.

The CBI team asked the NITTTR officials to submit the details at the earliest.

Once the details are submitted, the real exercise of quality audit of construction works would begin. The audit is likely to be ensued by grilling of then NITTTR director Agrawal, who is now with his parent department in APS University, Rewa.