4 months ago
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The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has recovered that 41 officials of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) had taken ₹16.50 lakh arsenic bribe from contractors.
The VACB inspections connected Friday (January 16, 2025), named ‘Operation Short Circuit,’ revealed instances of KSEB officials including sub-engineers, adjunct engineers and linemen accepting bribes from contractors. Most of these transactions were besides recovered to person been carried retired done online outgo platforms specified arsenic Google Pay.
Bribery cases came to airy during inspections successful KSEB offices crossed Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Malappuram, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts. The cognition scrutinised declaration works undertaken successful the KSEB implicit the past 5 years.
In Chittoor electrical conception bureau successful Palakkad district, an adjunct technologist was recovered to person accepted ₹1,27,400, a sub technologist ₹20,000, an overseer ₹12,500 and different overseer ₹16,300 from contractors. These payments were made done Google Pay, according to the VACB.
A sub technologist astatine the Varkala electrical conception bureau successful Thiruvananthapuram territory was recovered to person accepted ₹55,200 arsenic bribe from a contractor. Another sub technologist had accepted ₹4000 arsenic bribe from a antithetic contractor. Both transactions took spot done Google Pay, according to the VACB. At the Parassala electrical section, a sub technologist was recovered to person accepted a full of ₹38,000 arsenic bribe from a contractor successful aggregate instalments.
In Ernakulam, a scrutiny of handwriting successful quotations submitted astatine the Thripunithura conception for aggregate works revealed that each of them were submitted by the aforesaid individual. The quotations were allegedly being submitted by this idiosyncratic successful antithetic names to unafraid the contracts with the assistance of officials, according to the VACB.
In the Kasaragod electrical conception office, inspections revealed that works were being divided to smaller parcels to debar e-tender. All the works were being awarded to the aforesaid contractor.
The inspections recovered that the bulk of the KSEB offices are issuing contracts for works without adhering to procedures, the VACB said successful a statement. In bid to circumvent tendering procedures, declaration works are divided into smaller parcels and awarded by inviting quotations. The inspections besides recovered that successful immoderate cases, assorted works were being awarded to the aforesaid contractor for years astatine a stretch. According to the VACB, the bulk of the offices were not decently maintaining files related to the works, including scrap registers, log books and enactment registers.
VACB manager Manoj Abraham said follow-up inspections and tract verifications volition proceed successful the days ahead. The VACB views these cases precise earnestly and a elaborate probe volition beryllium conducted by scrutinising the slope statements of contractors and middlemen, helium said.
