PWD official under scanner over disproportionate assets

An assistant engineer working with Chhattisgarh’s Public Works Department (PWD) had reportedly amassed disproportionate assets worth more than Rs 11 crore. The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB)—a special establishment of Chhattisgarh Police—on Thursday raided the premises of Devnarayan Verma, an assistant engineer posted in Raipur circle of the PWD. The engineer had amassed huge money beyond his known source of income.The bureau officials said that Verma had investment mainly in purchasing land. The preliminary investigation suggested that the engineer had purchased huge land in at least eight villages in the state. The two bungalows that he had built in Raipur and his native village Mungesar were worth more than Rs 1 crore.Verma joined the PWD, the infrastructure development department of the state government, in 1991 as sub engineer. He supervised many important infrastructure development projects while posted in Raipur, Durg and Bemetara.