ED registers money laundering case in Maha dam project

The Enforcement Directorate today registered a money laundering case in connection with the alleged Rs 93 crore financial irregularities in the execution of the Balganga dam project in Maharashtra.
The central probe agency took cognisance of an FIR filed by the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to probe these alleged irregularities earlier this year.
The dam project has been executed in the Raigad district of the state on river Balganga.
The case pertains to ACB filing criminal offences against 11 persons, including six officials of Maharashtra irrigation department. "The agency suspects money laundering in the execution of the project and hence it will now probe it under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)," sources said.

The ACB, acting on government directives, had conducted an open inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the dam works implemented by Konkan Irrigation Development Corporation (KIDC). The ACB had said it has established irregularities of Rs 92,63,42,110.
"The ED has made all the people accused as named in the ACB first information report," the sources said.
After the irrigation department decided to build a dam on Balganga river at Pen, tenders for the same were called in 2009. It was then shown by KIDC that four contractors had taken part in the tender process and the project was awarded to F A Enterprises, the ACB had said.