KOCHI: The Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau (VACB) has ordered a preliminary inquiry against former ministers V K Ebrahimkunju and P J Joseph and eight others for alleged corruption in the construction of a regulator-cum-bridge near Kalamassery here.
VACB Director Jacob Thomas directed the Ernakulam unit of the agency to conduct the probe, following a complaint by social activist Gireesh Babu.
The others facing corruption allegations are IAS officers T O Sooraj and V J Kurian; five officials of the Irrigation Department and Rajeev C V, managing director of Seguro Foundations and Structures. The complainant alleged the financial irregularities in construction of the regulator-cum-bridge had caused a loss of around Rs 100 crores to the exchequer. Originally, a project to construct a permanent bund, to regulate salinity in the Periyar, was formulated during the tenure of the previous LDF Government.
“However, when the UDF Government came to power in 2011, several changes were made to the proposal - the proposed location of which came in the Kalamassery Assembly Constituency represented by Ebrahimkunju. Under the revised proposal, a regulator-cum-bridge was constructed spending around Rs 100 crores, instead of a permanent bund,” stated the complaint.
Unlike the other projects carried out by the Irrigation Department, around `35 crore was diverted from the PWD and a loan of `65 crore was taken from the Nabard. The contract was awarded to Seguro, which is already facing an inquiry in connection with the construction of the Chamravattom regulator in Malappuram.