The CBI on Monday arrested former New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (Noida) Chief Engineer Yadav Singh for allegedly awarding contracts worth over ₹116 crore to five private companies in lieu of bribes.
The arrest comes after Mr. Singh was recently granted bail in two other cases of alleged corruption. The third case was registered in January 2018.
Among those named in the FIR were Mr. Singh; Javed Ahmed of Gul Engineers; Sai Raju, Manish Kumar and Prem Pradeep of SMP Technology; Kumar Saurav and Prem Pradeep of Abu Infracon; Sanjay Kumar Gupta of Sanjay Electricals and Sanjay Kumar Sharma of Shakambari Projects.
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Unknown officials of the Noida Authority and others were also under the scanner for their role in the conspiracy.
The FIR was registered following a preliminary inquiry which revealed that Mr. Singh had allegedly extended undue favours to the companies of his associates and family members by awarding contracts in violation of the tender norms.
Gul Engineers was given 31 contracts of electrical works for ₹37.99 crore during 2007-12. While two contracts were covered in an earlier case, the rest became the subject matter of the 2018 FIR.
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The company allegedly did not meet the eligibility criteria in terms of work experience. It was also found involved in cartelisation of bidders, said the FIR. The awarding of contracts had led to a loss of about ₹2.20 crore.
The CBI alleged that the company’s proprietor had bribed Mr. Singh and had also given a vehicle as quid pro quo.
The SMP Technology was given five contracts worth ₹2.19 crore for computerisation of water billing in Noida. The company directors were classmates of Mr. Singh’s son Sunny in an engineering college in Himachal Pradesh.
It is alleged that the SMP Technology had hired the premises of one Kusum Garments, of Mr. Singh’s wife Kusum Lata and son Sunny at an “exorbitant rate” of ₹4.50 lakh per month. A vehicle registered in the company’s name was found at Mr. Singh’s residence.
The Abu Infracon was allotted 16 projects for various works during 2011-14.
The agency came across several suspicious transactions between K.S. Ultratech, another company in the name of Ms. Lata and Sunny, SMP Technology and Abu Infracon.
According to the FIR, Sanjay Electricals was awarded 37 projects worth ₹76 crore from 2007 to 2012, while Shakambari Projects was given one work in 2014.