Rajasthan: Former IAS officer arrested in Jal Jeevan Mission tender case
· Scroll
The Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau on Thursday arrested former Indian Administrative Service officer Subodh Agarwal in connection with alleged irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission tender process, The Times of India reported.
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Agarwal, who had been absconding for 50 days after an arrest warrant was issued in February, was detained in New Delhi and brought to Jaipur, where he was formally arrested.
Anti-Corruption Bureau Director General Govind Gupta said the investigation found a “tightly knit nexus” between private firms and senior Public Health Engineering Department officials, who allegedly manipulated tenders and documents so as to secure contracts, The Times of India reported.
Investigators alleged that two firms – Shri Ganpati Tubewell, run by Mahesh Mittal, and Shri Shyam Tubewell, run by Padamchand Jain – forged certificates in the name of IRCON International Limited and submitted fake work completion documents in multiple tenders.
According to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, these documents helped the firms secure contracts worth nearly Rs 960 crore.
The probe alleges that Agarwal, then Additional Chief Secretary of the Public Health Engineering Department, along with other senior officials, introduced a rule requiring site visit certificates for projects above Rs 50 crore.
Investigators said this broke norms and revealed bidder identities, making it easier for firms to form cartels and fix tenders, with premiums rising by 30%...