Mumbai has the state’s most corrupt officials

ACB records show 16% of 1,010 graft cases in Maharashtra are from city

MUMBAI: The city’s government and public sector officials are more corrupt than those in the rest of Maharashtra, reveals the latest data compiled by the AntiCorruption Bureau (ACB).

Cases against officials in Mumbai make up 16% of the total cases registered in the state — 1,010 — between January 1 and October 31, 2013, as per the data submitted by the ACB to the chief minister’s office recently, and accessed by HT.

By the end of October, 164 cases had been re gistered against them, of which 99 are discreet inquiries, 21 open inquiries, 40 involved traps laid to catch them and four are instances of disproportionate assets.

Nashik follows closely with 155 cases.

While the ACB’s Mumbai region data does not have casespecific and department-specific information, state-wide statistics show the police and the revenue department vying for top spot in the corruption chart. While the police have 126 corruption cases against them (involving 197 employees), the revenue department is close behind at 125 cases (involving 161 staffers).

The ACB has seized disproportionate assets worth around Rs21 crore from 17 accused, and in this category, the public works department tops the list, with assets worth Rs17.8 crore being seized from eight of its officials.

While top-ranked (class one and class two officers) in the PWD and transport departments were found to have accumulated a lot of disproportionate assets, no officers in these ranks in the police, revenue, irrigation, civic corporations, forest, education, agriculture and zilla parishads have such cases registered against them.

Though far less compared to police and revenue officials, local self-government staffers - civic corporations, zilla parishads and panchayat samitis - too have a significant number of cases registered against them. Employees of the public health and state electricity company, Mahavitaran, too are not above corruption.
Courtesy:
3 Dec 2013,
Hindustan Times (Mumbai)
Dharmendra Jore dharmendra.jore@hindustantimes.com
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

‘ 22,000cr bribe paid on roads every yr’

New Delhi: Corruption on Indian roads by enforcement agencies is an open secret. Now, a study conducted across a dozen major transport hubs covering over 1,200 truck drivers has revealed that in 60% cases, cops and officials extort money from truckers by stopping them without giving a reason. It has also revealed that around 90% of the bribe goes to policemen and transport department personnel.

The study was conducted by Centre for Media Studies and MDRA at transport hubs including Ludhiana, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Indore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Vijaywada, Bangalore and Chennai. Sharing the finding at an event which was attended by over two dozen truck drivers last week, Alok Srivastava, a director at CMS, said the situation was not improving. When he cited the example of illegal tokens, passes and stickers that these government agencies issue to allow vehicles to pass without checks, drivers said, “These are valid for a month.”

Srivastava said in many cases, government officials use holograms on bribe receipts to distinguish ‘original’ from ‘fake’ and use code words like ‘April Fool, May Day and Independence Day’. During the study, drivers also said that mobile phones were used to convey ‘links’. The study estimated the total bribe on roads to be close to Rs 22,000 crore every year.

The findings — based on the surveyors interaction with drivers, fleet operators and law enforcing agencies — also exposed how truck and commercial heavy vehicles were the punching bags for enforcement agencies. Drivers claimed that in 12% cases, authorities challan truckers even when there is no overloading.

They said harassment by police and transport department officials were the two major irritants for drivers on roads. While 77% of them felt police were the biggest irritant, 73% said it was harassment by transport department officials.

However, drivers and truck operators admitted they paid bribe for failing to meet norms or to get things done quickly. They conceded that the major reasons for paying bribe at transport department offices were getting registration and fitness certificates besides permits. On roads, truckers often pay bribe for lack of proper documents, overloading and rash driving. They also said by paying bribe, they avoided hassles in physical verification of goods.
Courtesy:
Dipak Kumar Dash TNN
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=CAP/2013/11/25&PageLabel=15&EntityId=Ar01501&ViewMode=HTML

Tulip Global Group MLM Scam

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Here is the story carried by MP's tabloyed Sanjha Lokswami from Indore City on 16th November 2012 about scam tainted company Tulip Global Group.

Sai Prakash Group MLM Scams

Here is the story carried by MP's tabloyed Sanjha Lokswami from Indore City on 29th November 2012 about scam tainted company Sai Prakash Group.

STONEWALLED: Govt ignored plea to save 1,000cr in dam project

Mumbai: A survey contractor, Yash Engineers, wrote to the state government three years ago, suggesting that Rs 1,000 crore could be saved if the alignment of the left bank canal of the Lower Penganga irrigation project in Yavatmal district was altered. The contractor never received a reply from the government.

On Friday, TOI reported how the project cost was increased from Rs 1,402 crore to an astronomical Rs 9,027 crore in August 2009 when a revised administrative approval was given.The approval came from the Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) and the contracts were awarded to politically connected contractors. The project was put on hold in the wake of opposition outcry and remainsso.

The survey contractor followed up the initial submission with a detailed memorandum to the state water resources department in February 2010, where it spoke of faults in the project and suggested ways to save cost .

“We wish to bring to your notice the lacunae and engineering blunders committed by the sanctioning authorities... This has led to a technically imperfect and very costly water conveyance system.” The contractor alleged that during survey, the executive engineer and other departmental officers did not allow it the minimum adequate time for performing “accurate and good quality work”. These officers allegedly pushed the contractor to make haste citing the election code of conduct. Yash Engineers’ memorandum said its alternate plan would reduce the costby about Rs 1,000 crore.

“Even under adverse circumstances, we deputed to the work site our expert surveyors and design engineers and produced technically sound proposals. But they were not considered by the department and they approved their own technical proposals, which are mostimproper,” said the letter.

The surveyor further said the canal crosses thePenganga river at a location where very expensive aqueduct is needed. “The cost of the aqueduct can be reduced from Rs 350 crore to Rs 125 crore by shifting its location from point D to point C,” it said.

Meanwhile, NCP MLC Sandeep Bajoriya on Friday admitted he received Rs 16 crore as advance for the Jigaon, Buldhana and Pedh iirrigation projects in Amravati. He was referring to a TOI report of October 4, which said that dam contractors received Rs 612 crore mobilisation advances from VIDC, defying rules.

Bajoriya said, “This (advance) was against due bank guarantee and with 13% interest levied on it. There is no wrongdoing involved.” He said he had returned the Jigaon project advance last April. “The Pedhi mobilization amount of Rs 7.5 crore given to me is already almost nullified against work done by me.” 

COURTECY:
Nauzer K Bharucha TNN
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