CBI registers fresh case in Gomti riverfront project irregularities; conducts searches at 41 locations

The officials said that a large number of engineers of the UP government and other officials, 189 of them have been made accused in the FIR

The CBI has registered a second FIR in the Rs 1,437-crore Gomti riverfront development project in Lucknow undertaken during the Akhilesh Yadav-led government during 2012-17 and has named 189 officials and contractors.

The latest FIR, which was registered last Friday following a preliminary enquiry, also led to searches at 41 locations in 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh, Alwar in Rajasthan and Kolkata in West Bengal.

While the first FIR covered work orders worth over Rs 1,031 crore, the second FIR deals with work orders of Rs 407 crore. Sixteen officials, including chief engineers and superintending engineers, and 173 contractors and companies are named in the second FIR.

The Gomti River Front Project for beautification and channelisation of Gomti river started in 2014-15 and continued till March 2017 and the cost was pegged at Rs 1,513 crore out of which Rs 1,437 crore was spent.

The first FIR dealt with work worth Rs 1,031 crore while the second dealt with 661 work orders worth Rs 407 crore.

According to the CBI, some tenders were awarded on the basis of forged documents and forgery in publication of notices inviting tender.

The preliminary inquiry also showed that 27 work orders each over Rs 1 lakh, including one for import of an international standard musical fountain worth over 55.95 lakh Euros from France, were issued without any tender.

The CBI said it was in violation of government orders that stipulate that no order of above Rs one lakh can be awarded without a tender.

Searches were conducted in Lucknow, Sitapur, Raebareli, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Aligarh, Gorakhpur, Bulandshahar, Agra, Etah, Moradabad, Meerut, Etawah (all in Uttar Pradesh), Alwar (Rajasthan) and Kolkata (West Bengal). The premises searched included those of the then chief engineers, then superintending engineers, the then executive engineer, the then assistant engineer and the private contractors, firms and companies.