AFTER a major scam suspectedly running into several hundred crore rupees surfaced at the Nagpur-based prestigious National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) under the Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered three separate cases of corruption and criminal conspiracy against its former director Dr Rakesh Kumar, Chief Scientists Dr Atya Kapley and Dr Sanjeev Kumar Goyal (Delhi), Principal Scientist Dr Ritesh Vijay and Senior Scientist Dr Sunil Gulia, on Wednesday. CBI also booked the directors of five firms on allegations of corruption in tendering and procurement. These firms include M/s Alaknanda Technologies Pvt Ltd, Airoli, Navi Mumbai, M/s Enviro Policy Research India Pvt Ltd, Gokhale Road, Thane, M/s Emergy Enviro Pvt Ltd, Powai, Mumbai, M/sWaste to Energy Research & Technology Council-India (W TERT-India), Prabhadevi, Mumbai, M/s ESS Environment Consultants Pvt Ltd (EECPL) and M/s Alaknanda Technologies Pvt Ltd (ATPL). Soon after registering the three FIRs, CBI conducted searches at 17 locations in Maharashtra, Haryana, Bihar and Delhi. In Nagpur, the bureau officers conducted searches at the NEERI office and residential premises of Dr Atya Kapley and Dr Ritesh Vijay.

 

This led to recovery of several incriminating documents, property related documents, jewellery and other valuables. According to CBI officials, the first case was registered against former director Dr Rakesh Kumar and Dr Atya Kapley and three private firms. It was alleged that Dr Rakesh Kumar and Dr Kapley entered into criminal conspiracy with accused private companies allowing cartelization and collusive bidding, splitting of tenders/works, not obtaining financial concurrence of competent authority, in lieu of undue advantage. All the three accused private companies participated in tenders issued by CSIR-NEERI and said Navi Mumbai based private firm was awarded work in most of the tenders. It was further alleged that one of the directors of the accused Navi Mumbai based private firm is the wife of a contractual staff member who has been a long standing associate of Dr Rakesh Kumar. The second case was registered against Dr Rakesh Kumar and Dr Ritesh Vijay and a private firm based at Prabhadevi- Mumbai on the allegations that the accused public servants in criminal conspiracy with said accused private firm abused their official positions for obtaining undue advantage during the period 2018-2019. It was alleged that during the year 2018-19, a joint proposal of CSIR- NEERI and the accused private firm for submission to Thane Municipal Corporation for providing advisory service for closure of dumping site at DivaKhardi at a cost of Rs.19.75 lakhs was approved by the said Director alongwith accused then Principal Scientist.The selection of the accused private firm was allegedly done arbitrarily on nomination basis, without consultation of the financial advisor of the CSIR. It was further alleged that before assuming charge of Director of CSIR-NEERI, the said accused was associated with the accused private firm during the year 2015-16 and was a member of its organising committee and a Trustee. Similarly, the third FIR was registered against Dr Sunil Gulia, Scientist Fellow of Delhi Zonal Centre, NEERI, and Dr Sanjeev Kumar Goyal and two private firms. It was alleged that both the public servants in criminal conspiracy with said accused private companies abused their official position for obtaining undue advantage from these private companies and committed gross irregularities in procurement, fabrication, supply, installation and commissioning of WAYU-II devices.

 

It was also alleged that WAYU-II, a patented & proprietary property of NEERI, was exclusively licensed to another accused firm and each time efforts were made to procure the devices from said firm on a single bid basis. Further, indent was allegedly raised on a single tender basis by inserting a restrictive clause of exclusive licensee of NEERI’s own technology without ascertaining the validity of license agreement executed with the said accused firm. It was also alleged that the licence elapsed before the end of the bidding process, and hence the executive licensee clause, which was the basis for single tender, made the bidding process void ab-initio. Moreover, five WAYU-II devices were allegedly also procured from Navi Mumbai-based accused private firm raising questions as how could said Navi Mumbai based private firm manufacture the device, which had been exclusively licensed to another accused firm. Despite NEERI being the proprietor/patent holder, the act of procuring back products of its own technology on a single tender basis was allegedly in violation of GFR rules.