Ghaziabad authority files FIR against two former secretaries

Officials said the two former secretaries, Raj Kumar Sachan and Narendra Kumar (III), had allegedly purchased more than the required lighting equipment for Madhuban Bapudham housing scheme.

An FIR has been lodged under sections of cheating and breach of trust against two former secretaries of the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) on the authority’s order.

A consultant prepared a detailed project report for the purchase of equipment for the entire area of Madhuban Bapudham in 2009.(Sakib Ali/HT File)

Officials said the two former secretaries, Raj Kumar Sachan and Narendra Kumar (III), had allegedly purchased more than the required lighting equipment for Madhuban Bapudham housing scheme.

The FIR was filed under sections of cheating and criminal breach of trust by public servant of the Indian Penal Code at Sihani Gate police station.

“We have lodged an FIR against the two former officials on a complaint received from GDA. The FIR was lodged after they were guilty during a departmental inquiry. The primary allegation against the officials is that they allegedly purchased more than the required electrical equipment for GDA’s Madhuban Bapudham scheme and allegedly violated norms,” Atish Kumar Singh, circle officer (city II), said.

“We have started an investigation into the matter and will soon approach GDA to supply us with the documents of the purchase of the equipment,” he said.

GDA officials said the equipment for the project was purchased in 2008-09 at a cost of nearly ₹158 crore. The housing scheme was caught in litigation for long, as the farmers had moved the court against the land acquisition.

An internal inquiry was conducted by the GDA officials in 2012 and, on October 11, 2012, a letter was sent to the state administration by then GDA vice-chairperson.

The letter indicated that additional purchases were made and alleged violation of norms.

“During the purchase, one of the two firms was given eight contracts while the other one was given two contracts for the supply of electrical equipment such as transformers, cables and panels. These were lying unused for long and the previous vice-chairperson of GDA decided to utilise the equipment for other housing projects. This was after he came to know that the equipment was lying unused,” a GDA official said.

He said that nearly 80-90% payment for the contracts was also made, while the remaining payment is still on hold.

“We still have some of the equipment left. It is yet to be utilised,” he said.

A consultant prepared a detailed project report for the purchase of equipment for the entire area of Madhuban Bapudham in 2009, which included the areas for which the land acquisition proposals was not sent by GDA.

Further, on the recommendation of the authority’s tender committee, officials gave a go-ahead for inviting tenders for the entire works listed in the project report in July 2009. By this time, only 55-57% of the land listed under the scheme was in the possession of the authority.

GDA officials said they suspect the role of more officials and are awaiting a report from ‘Vikas Vibhag’ in this regard. They said that departmental action, however, was taken against all officials involved.

“The two officials were chargesheeted in 2014-15. Since these two are PCS officers, it was sanctioned by the state administration. The appointments department had also given a nod for filing FIR but only these two names had been given. I will be writing to the government for action against other officials as well,” Ritu Maheshwari, vice-chairperson, GDA, said.

The land issue is yet to be resolved even today. Nearly 281 acres are caught in a dispute between farmers and the authority. In November 2017, the state administration invoked clauses of The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, and extended the declaration of notification of the land by a period of one year.