EOW files FIR in e-tender tampering case
| Date :11-Apr-2019 |
Staff Reporter:
Case filed against directors of seven companies, unidentified bureaucrats, politicians and others
Close on the heels of income tax raids against some close aides of Chief Minister Kamal Nath, the Economics Offences Wing (EOW) has registered an FIR in connection with e-tender tampering case on Wednesday. A case has been registered against the Board of Directors of seven companies and others, including bureaucrats and some politicians. As of now, case has been registered against unidentified accused. This case has come to fore during the previous BJP government, almost one year back.
In the probe of e-tender scam of around Rs 3,000 crore, which involves five departments, EOW found that total nine tenders were tampered with to extend benefit to the construction companies. The tenders in question includes three tenders of Jal Nigam, two tenders of Public Works Department, two tenders of Water Works Department, one tender of Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation and one tender of PIU of PWD etc. Director General, Economics Offences Wing, K N Tiwari told ‘The Hitavada’ that names of seven companies, which are under scanner, are GVPR Limited, Messers Max Mentena Limited, Mumbai’s construction company The Hume Pipe Limited, Sortia Belji Production Limited, Madhav Infra Project Limited, a Bhopal-based construction company Ramkumar Narwani Limited and Osmo IT Solution Company.
The probe into case was going on from long time and after coming to conclusive evidences, a case has been filed against the Board of Directors and marketing persons of concerned companies, unidentified bureaucrats, politicians and unidentified accused of MPSEDC. The case has been registered under sections 120B, 420, 468, 471, Section 66 of IT Act 2000, Prevention of Corruption Act etc. Shedding light on alleged tampering in e-tenders, he told that it was MP Electronics Corporation which first checked the mess and later the matter was referred to Principal Secretary of concerned department and after this, matter reached till EOW. Talking about modus operandi of tender scam, he told that digital signatures were accessed to change the quoted bids.
The bids were changed to extend benefit to certain companies and their bids were quotes lowest. It was in May 2018 that primary enquire was registered in tender scam. As help of technical experts was needed to reach till bottom of the case, hence it took time in filing the FIR. When alleged e-tender tampering case came to fore, entire tender process was cancelled to call fresh tenders. The crux of case is this that nine tenders of five departments were intercepted and price bids were changed to provide benefit to favoured companies. In e-tender tampering case, encrypted keys were tampered with and these encrypted keys commonly known as digital signature were secured by accused and it is a matter of probe that how accused came in possession of digital signatures. Meanwhile, searches are underway in connection with the e-tendering tampering case. There was no loss of money to State exchequer in e-tender tampering case as no work order was awarded and entire process was scrapped after alleged tampering came to fore.