CBI conducts raids over 'graft' in Rs 2,200 crore J&K hydro power project

The CBI is conducting searches at six locations in four cities in connection with the alleged graft flagged by former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik in awarding the contract for the Rs 2,200-crore civil work for the Kiru Hydro Power Project in Kishtwar in 2019, officials said on Saturday.

The searches are spread across three locations, including the premises of Kanwaljeet Singh Duggal of Mainstream IT Solutions Private Limited and D P Singh, they said.

Three premises of the company and Duggal in Delhi and one each in Shimla, Noida and Chandigarh are being covered during the operation, the officials said.

This is the fourth round of searches in the case in which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had already carried out similar operations on April 21 and July 6 last year and May 17 this year, they said.

Malik, who was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir from August 23, 2018 to October 30, 2019, had alleged that he was offered a Rs 300-crore bribe for clearing two files, including the one pertaining to the project.

"The case was registered on allegations of malpractices in award of the contract worth approximately Rs 2,200 crore of civil works of Kiru Hydro Electric Power Project (HEP) to a private company in the year 2019," the CBI had said earlier.

The agency has booked the former chairman of the Chenab Valley Power Projects (Private) Limited, Navin Kumar Chaudhary, former officials M S Babu, M K Mittal and Arun Kumar Mishra and Patel Engineering Limited.

Chaudhary is a 1994-batch Jammu and Kashmir-cadre (now AGMUT cadre) Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.

"Though a decision was taken in 47th board meeting of CVPPPL (Chenab Valley Power Projects (P) Ltd) for re-tender through e-tendering with reverse auction after cancellation of ongoing tendering process, same was not implemented (as per decision taken in 48th board meeting) and tender was finally awarded to Patel Engineering Limited," the FIR has alleged.