5 current and ex-PWD officials held for 'irregularities' in road construction project in Bijapur

Bijapur, Jul 30 (PTI) Three current and two retired Chhattisgarh Public Works Department (PWD) officials have been arrested for alleged irregularities in a road construction project in Bijapur district, police said on Wednesday, months after corruption was flagged in the work by a now slain scribe.

Three other officials of the department, one of them now retired, charged with committing irregularities in execution of the project, have obtained anticipatory bail, they said.

An inquiry into the road construction venture in a Naxal-affected area in the Bastar region was initiated by the government after journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, who was murdered early this year, had flagged poor quality work and corruption in the project in a news report.

The road project's main contractor, Suresh Chandrakar, and three others -- his two brothers and an associate -- were later arrested in connection with the journalist's murder. Suresh Chandrakar and Mukesh Chandrakar were distant relatives.

The probe was conducted by a PWD committee into alleged irregularities in the under-construction Nelasnar-Kodoli-Mirtur-Gangaloor (52.40 km long) road, Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Yadav said.

Based on a complaint by the probe panel, an FIR was lodged against several PWD officials, he said.

Five of them -- identified as DR Sahu, VK Chouhan -- both retired executive engineers, then- executive engineer HN Patra, Sub-Divisional Officer (Bijapur) Pramod Singh Kanwar and Sub- Engineer (Jagdalpur) Santosh Das - were arrested on Sunday (July 27), he said.

Three other officials named in the FIR -- then Executive Engineer (now retired) BL Dhruv, Sub-Divisional Officer RK Sinha and Sub Engineer GS Kodopi -- have obtained anticipatory bail, he said.

Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao, who holds the PWD portfolio, said in January, the probe committee had found serious irregularities in execution of the work in Nelsnar-Kodoli-Mirtur-Gangaloor road construction.

The panel had pointed out that due to alleged connivance of officials concerned, there was prima facie evidence regarding wastage of government money, embezzlement, submission of faulty evaluation report and corruption in nexus with the contractor/construction agency, Sao had said.

Based on the findings, the department had directed the Chief Engineer, PWD of Bastar Circle (Jagdalpur) to immediately lodge an FIR under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Prevention of Corruption Act against then Executive Engineer (now retired) Dhruv, SDO Sinha and Sub Engineer Kodopi and other officials concerned for allegedly committing irregularities in the road construction work.

The department had then placed Sinha and Kodopi under suspension and served a show-cause notice to Dhruv seeking his reply within 15 days.

A news report highlighting alleged corruption in the road construction work was published by Mukesh Chandrakar in the last week of December 2024.

Days later, on January 1, the 33-year-old freelance journalist went missing and his body was found on January 3 in a septic tank on a property owned by contractor Suresh Chandrakar at Chattanpara Basti in Bijapur town.

Suresh Chandrakar, the prime accused, his brothers Ritesh and Dinesh and his supervisor Mahendra Ramteke were arrested in the murder case.

According to police, the main accused, a distant relative of Mukesh Chandrakar, was enraged after publication of the news report highlighting alleged corruption in the road construction work being carried out by him.

Mukesh Chandrakar worked as a freelance journalist for a leading national English news channel and and also ran a YouTube channel, 'Bastar Junction'. PTI COR TKP RSY