Charge sheet against former VIDC officials in irrigation scam

The Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Maharashtra police today filed a charge sheet against 12 people, including five former government officials, in connection with the Gosikhurd irrigation project scam.
The charge sheet is related, in particular, to alleged irregularities in award of contracts for the Mokhaburdi Lift Irrigation Project.
It names as accused former managing director of the Vidarbha Irrigation Development Board (VIDC) Devendra Shirke, chief engineer Sopan Suryanvanshi, executive engineer Umashankar Parwate, senior divisional accounts officer Chandan Jibhkate and superintending engineer Dilip Pohekar.
Besides, Kalindi Shah, Tejaswini Shah, Vishal Pravin Thakkar, Pravin Thakkar, Jigar Pravin Thakkar, Arun Kumar Gupta and Ramesh Kumar Soni of R J Shah & Company and D Thakkar Construction Pvt Ltd have been named in the 4,457-page charge sheet.

The VIDC officials were alleged to have misused their position in awarding a Rs 56.57 crore contract without verifying the experience certificate of the contractor which was later found to be forged, it said.
Tender rules were claimed to have been relaxed to help ineligible companies, the ACB said in a press release.
Gosikhurd project is one of the major irrigation projects on the river Wainganga in Bhandara district.