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Seven firms blacklisted, 6 FIRs filed, two civic contractors arrested in Kanpur tender row
The action came two days after chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to end alleged mafia influence in the corporation’s contracting system. Municipal commissioner Arpit Upadhyay said tenders worth more than ₹100 crore had been cancelled following a preliminary inquiry into the firms and their tender documents. The corporation has also stopped payments related to development works and halted fresh registrations of contractors, he added.
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Seven firms have been blacklisted and six FIRs registered over alleged irregularities and intimidation in the tendering process of the Kanpur Municipal Corporation, with police arresting two contractors and searching for the alleged kingpin of the syndicate, Agra-based contractor Govind Sharma.
Commissioner of police Raghubir Lal on Tuesday said that contractors Sandeep Jain and Rajjan Bajpai had been arrested and an SIT constituted to investigate the alleged tender racket. Sharma, who has been named in the FIRs, is believed to be in Rajasthan, and two police teams have been sent to trace him, he said.
The action came two days after chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to end alleged mafia influence in the corporation’s contracting system.
Municipal commissioner Arpit Upadhyay said tenders worth more than ₹100 crore had been cancelled following a preliminary inquiry into the firms and their tender documents. The corporation has also stopped payments related to development works and halted fresh registrations of contractors, he added.
Five of the six FIRs were registered at Swaroop Nagar police station, with the municipal commissioner as the complainant. The sixth was registered at Fazalganj on a complaint by contractor Sunny Singh Bhadauria, who alleged that a syndicate had established its influence over the corporation and intimidated contractors into withdrawing from tenders.
The commissioner of police said the allegations under investigation included attempts to influence the tender process, threatening competing contractors and securing municipal contracts through a network of firms. Investigators are also examining the role of officials and employees who may have facilitated the alleged irregularities.
The corporation has around 400 registered contractors, while a preliminary inquiry put the number at 427 firms registered for various works. Officials said 27 firms were linked to larger contractors and eight were selected for detailed scrutiny. Seven of these have now been blacklisted.
The municipal inquiry found allegations of expired documents being submitted with tender applications, incorrect information about machinery required for contracts and substandard construction in some works, officials said.
Police and municipal officials are examining the firms’ documents, contracts and participation in the tender process. They are also probing Sharma’s alleged role in ensuring that contractors received tenders and pressuring competitors to influence bidding.
According to officials, the inquiry found that firms linked to contractors under scrutiny had secured contracts worth several crores in the previous financial year. A firm received works worth around ₹24 crore, while two others received works worth around ₹30 crore and ₹20 crore, respectively. Police said the contracts themselves were not proof of wrongdoing and that eligibility documents and execution of the works were being examined.
The SIT, headed by DCP (Central) Archana Singh will investigate the allegations, police said, adding that more arrests could follow.
The crackdown has also brought hot-mix plant contracts under scrutiny. Municipal teams inspected plants in areas including Bhaunti and Kidwai Nagar, finding several closed or with discrepancies. Officials are also reopening files relating to hot-mix plants, CC roads and interlocking tile works carried out over the past three years, estimated at around ₹200 crore.
Meanwhile, a group of BJP councillors approached the police commissioner’s office against mayor’s son Amit Pandey alias Bunty, alleging that he had occupied several government plots. Pandey was unavailable for comment.
The corporation has begun reviewing its tendering system and introduced e-tendering to improve transparency, officials said.
