ACB to probe ‘irregularities’ in construction of Assembly, HC buildings

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has directed the state’s anti-corruption bureau (ACB) to probe into alleged “financial irregularities” in construction of the newly built Jharkhand assembly and high court (HC) buildings

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has directed the state’s anti-corruption bureau (ACB) to probe into alleged “financial irregularities” in construction of the newly built Jharkhand assembly and high court (HC) buildings.

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“Chief minister Hemant Soren has directed to get investigation done into financial irregularities in construction of the newly constructed Jharkhand Assembly and high court by Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB),” a statement from the CM said on Thursday.

Both projects were initiated during the previous BJP regime and are worth several hundred crores. While the Assembly building was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2019, ahead of the Assembly polls, the high court building is still under construction.

While the assembly complex, spread over around 39 acres, has come up at a cost of ₹465 crore, the estimated cost of the upcoming HC building is reportedly ₹697 crore.

Sources said there had been irregularities in the tendering process of both the projects, as the costs were decreased before being increased substantially after the project to the contractor. Both projects had been awarded to the same construction firm.

The Assembly building has also been in the news for all the wrong reasons, as its false ceilings have caved in twice in different parts of the building due to water seepage, raising questions about quality of work.

In case of the under construction HC building, a public interest litigation (PIL) has also been filed and being heard by the HC.