The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a case against the former chairman and managing director of WAPCOS, Rajni Kant Agrawal, over alleged financial anomalies, such as abuse of office resources to meet personal expenses.
This case was initiated as a case of reference to the ministry of Jal Shakti, and a necessary sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act was granted by the Union minister C R Patil. Officials said that the investigation was based on accusations that the company finances were spent on covering the costs connected with Agrawal son.
According to the FIR filed on April 30, CBI has alleged that project managers based in different offices of WAPCOS and National Projects Construction Corporation (NPCC) paid fees to the son of Agrawal who studied in different years at the Vellore Institute of Technology. These were reportedly payments in terms of tuition fees, hostel fees, and other educational fees.
The agency also alleged that project managers also incurred airfare expenses incurred by the son in travelling between Delhi and Chennai including travelling during holidays and festivals. A particular example given in the FIR is that of the 2.5 lakh in payment by the Chandigarh office of WAPCOS on academic expenses.
The investigators project that the total payments made in connection with the alleged irregularities are in excess of ₹11.26 lakh. The FIR also mentions the unknown officials of WAPCOS and NPCC, implying a wider circle of involvement.
The CBI has started an in-depth inquiry to establish the level of the alleged misuse of the public funds, and to identify all those who are involved.