The anti-corruption bureau (ACB) has registered a criminal case against seven individuals, including senior officials of the water resources department, contractors, and two companies, for allegedly using forged certificates to qualify for a tender in connection with the Gosikhurd irrigation project. The case was registered nearly 15 years after the incident occurred.
The case was lodged at the Bramhapuri police station on Tuesday evening based on a complaint filed by ACB Deputy Superintendent of Police Anil Jittawar. According to the complaint, serious irregularities were detected in the tendering process during 2009-10 for earthwork and construction on the D-7 distributary of the right main canal under the Gosikhurd project, which falls under the Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC).
The ACB conducted a detailed inquiry following directions from the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court. The investigation focused on the award of a contract with an original estimated cost of ₹12.63 crore. After the tender process, the work was awarded to M/s Sumedha Earthmovers Company and M/s Suvarna Enterprises (Joint Venture), Pune. Following negotiations, the contract was approved at 9.75% higher than the estimated cost, bringing the final contract value to ₹13.86 crore.
The inquiry revealed that all four experience certificates submitted by the contractors to qualify for the tender were forged. Verification conducted with the concerned offices confirmed that no such certificates had ever been issued by them. Investigators concluded that the contractors had secured eligibility for the tender using fabricated documents, thereby cheating the government.
Based on the findings, a case has been registered against former executive engineer Sudhakar Atmaram Ghengare, superintending engineer Sanjay Laxman Kholapurkar, chief engineer Sopan Ramrao Suryawanshi, Devendra Parshuram Shirke, Manojkumar Prannath Ambrol, as well as M/s Sumedha Earthmovers Company and M/s Suvarna Enterprises. The accused have been booked under relevant laws.
