Nagpur: Congress leaders including West Nagpur MLA Vikas Thakre has alleged that the former MD of Maha Metro prepared bogus certificate of RDSO, coming under Ministry of Railwaysw, started operations of Nagpur Metro Rail. They alleged scams of Rs 1,500 crore, further saying that poor work led to developing of cracks in viaduct, incomplete phase-I despite passing of nine years.
According to a memorandum submitted to Shravan Hardikar, Managing Director (MD) of Maha Metro, Thakre said that tThe Nagpur Metro project has been going on for the last 9 years in the city and so far Maha Metro has completely failed to complete the first phase of the project. There is a lot of corruption going on in these projects and last year in December 2022, the CAG report also blamed that there was a misappropriation of Rs 100 crore in the work of this project. But ironically, no action has been taken in this case even after a year.
Today's Rate
Friday 20 Dec. 2024
The Congress leader further said that amidst this, a shocking fact has been revealed under the Right to Information that the operation of the Metro project has also been started with a fake letter from the Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO), an organization under the Ministry of Railways. Against this corruption in Maha Metro, on behalf of Nagpur City (District) Congress Committee, a memorandum was given to Hardikar.
Fake RDSO fake letter: File a case against Brijesh Dixit and other guilty officers:
Thakre claimed that in the Nagpur Metro project, which is being operated under Maha Metro, there is widespread corruption and many cases of malpractices have come to light. In this, a shocking fact has come to light that the Ministry of Railways has been cheated by the officials of the Metro in connection with the certification of electricity required for the operation of the Metro.
“It is mandatory to get the approval of the Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) before starting the operation of Metro Rail to the citizens. The Metro authorities started the operation of the Nagpur Metro by creating a fake letter of RDSO dated December 26, 2017 without taking any permission from this organization. This matter came to light in RDSO’s RTI reply dated October 25, 2023,” he charged.
In this regard, it was demanded that immediate action should be taken by registering a case against the guilty officials including Brujesh Dixit, former MD of Maha Metro. It was also demanded that Dixit should be expelled from the Metro bungalow in Mumbai where he was staying for the last seven months when he was not in service in Maha Metro and recover the expenses from him.
Rs 1500 crore corruption and action zero:
A CAG report published in December 2022 alleged corruption of Rs 900 crore by Maha Metro. Along with this, Maha Metro officials have committed scams of Rs 600 crore in various 19 works during the year to extend benefits of crores to private companies. The main facilitator is former MD Brujesh Dixit and his officers, Thakre alleged.
The Congress leaders further said that the Director of the metro had also given illegal permission to a contractor to pick up the piles stored in the car depot on Hingna Road of Maha Metro in Nagpur. However, this contractor dug up a mountain of murrum without sprouting from the murrum stored in the depot and earned crores from it. No action has been taken on this till now. Interestingly, for various works of Maha Metro, large quantity of murrum is procured. It costs crores of rupees to Maha Metro. In this case, allowing a contractor to do so is clear corruption, they stated.
Recover Rs 600 crore from guilty officials:
While the first phase of the Nagpur Metro project was expected to be completed in 2018, it has not yet been completed due to the negligence of officials, which has increased the cost of the project by Rs 600 crore. Therefore, it has been demanded that the amount of Rs 600 crore should be recovered from the concerned authorities, the Congress leader demanded.
