Gomti riverfront case: CBI searches 40 locations in UP, Bengal, Raj

New Delhi, July 5 In a massive action, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday carried out searches at over 40 locations in Uttar Pradesh in connection with a fresh case it registered in the alleged irregularities in the Gomti Riverfront project, officials said.

A CBI spokesperson said, "The multiple teams of the agency are carrying out searches at over 40 places in Uttar Pradesh."

He said that the CBI carried out searches at around 40 locations including Lucknow, Sitapur, Raebareli, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Aligarh, Gorakhpur, Agra, Bulandshahar, Etah, Moradabad, Meerut, Etawah, all in Uttar Pradesh and Alwar in Rajasthan and Kolkata in West Bengal at the premises of accused including the then Chief Engineers, then Superintending Engineers, the then Executive Engineer, the then Assistant Engineer and the private contractors, firms and companies.

He said that during searches, incriminating documents/articles have been recovered.

The official said the searches were being carried out after the CBI registered a fresh case to probe alleged irregularities in the project against 189 Uttar Pradesh government officers, including the then engineers, and others named as accused in the FIR.

The agency had registered a case on July 2 on the request of Uttar Pradesh government and further notification from the central government against 16 public servants including then Chief Engineers, Superintending Engineers of Uttar Pradesh government and 173 private persons, firms, companies on the allegations of irregularities committed in the implementation of various works worth Rs 407 crore relating to "Gomti River Channelization Project" and "Gomti River Front Development Project" by Irrigation Department of Uttar Pradesh.

The case was earlier registered at Gomti Nagar police station in Lucknow.

One of the accused named in the FIR is the French company Aquatique Show, according to the FIR.

Out of 673 works, 12 works worth Rs 1,031 crore were investigated by the probing agency in its first FIR. This FIR concerns 661 works worth Rs 407 crore.

This is the second FIR that has been registered in connection with the case.

The Gomti Riverfront project was an ambitious project under the Akhilesh Yadav government.

The CBI had registered a case on November 30, 2017 which was earlier being probed by the Uttar Pradesh Police.

It has been alleged that the Rs 1,513 crore Gomti Riverfront development project witnessed widespread irregularities.

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