- CBI filed case against former Tata Consulting Engineers and JNPT officials over Rs 800 crore dredging project
- Allegations include inflated estimates, favouring international bidders, and suppressing expert reports
- FIR names JNPT chief engineer Sunil Kumar Madabhavi and TCE project director Devdutt Bose among accused
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a case against former officials of Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), and two dredging companies over alleged irregularities worth over Rs 800 crore in the Capital Dredging Project to deepen ship navigational channels near Mumbai, officials said.
The action against the company officials follows a three-year preliminary inquiry into allegations of inflated estimates, throttling of competition to favour international bidders, extension of undue favours to contractors, and suppression of reports from independent expert organisations.
In its FIR, the CBI has named the then chief engineer of JNPT Sunil Kumar Madabhavi, then project director of TCE, Devdutt Bose, Boskalis Smit India LLP, Jan De Nul Dredging India Pvt Ltd and other unidentified public servants under IPC Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating) and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
After the FIR was filed on Wednesday, the CBI conducted searches at five locations in Mumbai and Chennai, including the residence of Madabhavi, Bose and offices of private companies.
Documents relating to the Capital Dredging Project, digital devices and documents showing investments made by public servants were recovered from the searches, a CBI spokesperson said.
No immediate reaction was available from the accused companies.
The case pertains to a project envisaged by the JNPT to deepen and widen the navigational channel it shared with the Mumbai Port in 2003 to cater to the needs of larger size cargo ships.
The Tata firm was roped in for preparation of a final report on the planning for dredging activities for the Capital Dredging Phase-I project, which was submitted in 2010 in association with Dredging Solution. TCE was also awarded the work of project management consultant for the project, including preparation of the tender documents and work of supervising the execution of the project, the FIR alleged.
"The allegations of pecuniary advantage obtained by the private companies as a result of abuse of official position by the JNPT officials resulting into a huge wrongful loss to the exchequer, spread over the period from 2003 to 2014 (phase-I of the project) and 2013 to 2019 (phase-II of the project) was also inquired," the CBI said in the FIR.
