CBI to quiz railway officials in IRCTC tender case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the alleged irregularities in the tender of two IRCTC hotels to private companies by then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, may question few railway officials soon, officials said on Saturday.

According to the investigating agency officials, it has collected the documents and files pertaining to the tenders of the two hotels awarded to Sujata Hotels.

A CBI official requesting anonymity said the agency would soon question few railway officials.

A senior railway official also confirmed that the CBI has taken the documents pertaining to tenders of the hotels were taken away by them.

The CBI official also said that it was going through all the documents of the tenders and after that Lalu Prasad and his family may be questioned in the case.

The agency official, however, refused to give any specific date for questioning of the accused involved in the case.

The CBI had on July 5 registered a case of criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal misconduct against against Lalu Prasad; his wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi; his son and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav; former Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Managing Director P.K. Goyal; and the wife of Lalu's confidante Prem Chand Gupta, Sarala Gupta on allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006.

In the same year, the hotels were transferred to the IRCTC.

The CBI had carried out raids at over 12 places on July 7 in Delhi, Gurugram, Patna, Ranchi and Puri.

According to CBI, the tender for the development, maintenance and operation of BNR Hotels in Ranchi and Puri was "rigged" to favour Sujata Hotels in exchange for 10 plots comprising three-acres in Patna's Shaguna More area.

Lalu Prasad was the Railway Minister between 2004-09.

--IANS

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