Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former water resources minister Sunil Tatkare has not been named an accused in the charge sheet filed in connection with irregularities in the Kondane irrigation dam project at Karjat in Raigad district. His name, however, features in the last paragraph of the charge sheet. ACB sources said he remains under scanner.
The charge sheet, part of the irrigation scam case, details the connivance of contractors and government officials with a loss pegged at Rs90 crore to the government exchequer.
It names Nisar Khatri, partner at FA Enterprises, which had bagged the Kondhane project, as an accused. The other accused are six officials from the Konkan Irrigation Development Corporation (KIDC), the implementing agency Devendra Shirke, former executive director; BB Patil, former chief engineer; RD Shinde, superintendent engineer; PB Sonawane, former chief engineer; AP Kalukhe, executive engineer and Rajesh Rithe, executive engineer.
“The accused floated a dummy firm — FA enterprises — which had no past experience. It was of duplicate of FA construction, the firm which had already bagged six projects and could not bag any more according to the irrigation rules,” said a source, while detailing the contents of the charge sheet.
Moreover, the 3,000 page charge sheet has detailed violations while awarding the contract. “The evaluation committee consisted of six members, but during the tendering process two of them were not present. Their signatures were taken at a later stage. Investigations revealed the papers were transported to their locations in Nashik and Dhule for signatures,” said the source.
{{/usCountry}}Moreover, the 3,000 page charge sheet has detailed violations while awarding the contract. “The evaluation committee consisted of six members, but during the tendering process two of them were not present. Their signatures were taken at a later stage. Investigations revealed the papers were transported to their locations in Nashik and Dhule for signatures,” said the source.
{{/usCountry}}The two government servants who signed later have been made witnesses in the case and their testimony is considered to be vital in the case.
Further, the go-ahead to increase the height of the dam is given by the governor, but in this case executive director Shirke gave permission, alleged the charge sheet.
The Thane branch of the ACB had registered a case in September last under sections 420,109,102(B) of the IPC and Sections 13(1)(c)(D), 13(2),15 of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 with the Kopri police station.
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