Six engineers booked for usurping Rs 10 crore by faking 73 road works under EGS scheme

City Chowk police station has registered an offence of usurping government money of Rs 10.07 crore against six engineers through preparing bogus records of 73 roads, and the payments related to them, in Sillod and Phulambri tehsils of the district. Acting upon the orders of the district collector, the naib tehsildar lodged the complaint against the engineers.

The names of the accused engineers are the sectional engineer of PWD’s Sillod sub-division K S Gadekar, sub-divisional engineer M M Kolhe,

sectional engineers B B Jaybhaye, R G Divekar, A F Rajput (now retired) and Nagdive.

The complaint lodged by the naib tehsildar (Employment Guarantee Scheme), Rajendra Vithalrao Shinde stated that the accused engineers withdrew Rs 10.07 crore from the government treasury by submitting bogus papers. From the year 2009 to 2016, the engineers undertook skilled work under EGS in different villages of Phumabri tehsil and withdrew a bill of Rs 5.50 crore against the payment of 42 roads. In addition, they withdrew a payment of

Rs 4.56 crore against 31 roads in different villages of Sillod tehsil. They usurped the money without actually doing the road works, therefore, they make bogus payments.

When the inquiry was instigated, the vigilance committee raised suspicion as the engineers failed to produce and submit explanations or records about the payments and the works demanded by the committee. Later on, the committee issued show-cause notices to the concerned engineers, but they failed to give satisfactory replies. Hence, the committee submitted the report to the district collector Astik Kumar Pandey recommending strict action against them. The collector after reviewing the report issued a written order directing the naib tehsildar to lodge a complaint against the six engineers.

Hence the case was registered at the City Chowk police station. The police inspector (Economic Offence Wing) Dadarao Shingare is investigating the case.

Mandatory to preserve records for 20 years

As per the official norms, it is necessary for the engineers to preserve the record of the road works and expenses made on them for 20 years. Hence the naib tehsildar in his complaint stated that despite demanding to submit the records, these six engineers failed to produce them.