Irregularities: KSRTC chief engineer suspended
KOCHI: The state government has suspended the KSRTC chief engineer, who is the head of the Civil Division, after serious allegations were raised regarding irregularities in the construction of various buildings at different depots. Transport Minister Antony Raju signed the order suspending chief engineer R Indu, who is currently on deputation at another department, after the auditing department found severe discrepancies in the management of funds.
According to sources, she is also accused of going out of the way to help the contractors who were entrusted with carrying out various projects at Haripad, Thodupuzha, Kannur, Chengannur, Muvattupuzha and Ernakulam depots. “Funds to the tune of crores are alleged to have been misappropriated,” said an official, under the condition of anonymity.
“It is said the financial irregularities committed by the chief engineer during the construction of the administrative block at the Ernakulam depot led to KSRTC suffering a loss of Rs 1.39 crore,” the official said. The transport minister has said the audit report, which highlights eight irregularities, suggests making the chief engineer pay the amount concerned. A lot of irregularities have been pointed out in the audit report regarding the construction of the Haripad depot, the transport department official said.
“It was constructed using the MLA fund,” he pointed out. According to the audit report, Indu prepared the estimate for the renovation of the Muvattupuzha bus station yard without carrying out a proper study, said the official. Another official said the report stated that the construction of a sewage treatment plant at the depot was started without even getting an approval from the Pollution Control Board.
“All these are allegations. Recently, many top-level officers in the state transport body were transferred, with corruption allegations raised against them. However, none of them have been proved,” the official said. As the said chief engineer is currently not working with KSRTC, there should be no problem in carrying out a vigilance probe into the alleged corruption, he said. Despite several attempts, Indu remained unavailable for comment.