ACB books 11 in ₹4.87cr Sohna streetlight project case

Probe flags ₹80 lakh loss, inflated prices, multiple contractors and use of unspecified brands in 2015 project

The Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has booked 11 people, including a former chief engineer, a sub-divisional officer (SDO), two former secretaries of Sohna Municipal Council and three contractors, over alleged irregularities in a ₹4.87 crore streetlight project executed in Sohna in 2015, officials said on Saturday.

The bureau registered an FIR at the ACB police station in Gurugram on Wednesday following a preliminary inquiry that found alleged irregularities resulting in a loss of at least ₹80 lakh to the government exchequer, officials said.

Quoting the FIR, a senior ACB official said some of the project items, including poles and streetlights, were allegedly purchased at rates 25% higher than market prices, resulting in an additional financial burden on the government.

According to the ACB, officials and contractors allegedly colluded to bypass procurement rules and irregularly allocate work under the project. “The ACB will examine the procurement records to determine how the rates were fixed and approved. These streetlights and poles were installed at multiple stretches on major roads linking Sohna,” he said.

The suspects have been booked under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The ACB has also alleged that instead of selecting a single contractor, work was allotted to multiple agencies, including agencies that allegedly exceeded the limits permitted under their licences. The bureau further alleged that materials of different brands were installed instead of the specific brands mentioned in the project documents.

“The work was to be finished within three months, but no records were provided to the government that the work was completed and the payments were cleared beforehand prior to the three-month deadline. Though the project was completed several months after the original deadline. Tendering dates were not publicised, due to which only three firms participated even after dates were extended,” the official said.

The project was executed in 2015 at a total cost of ₹4.87 crore, while the preliminary inquiry estimated the alleged loss to the government at at least ₹80 lakh. “ACB is now examining records related to the decade-old project and will determine if more irregularities or additional beneficiaries were involved,” he said.

In response, Sohna Municipal Council officials said the alleged irregularities date back nearly a decade and that almost all files related to the project are currently with the ACB. They said they were therefore unaware of what had actually taken place in 2015.