The Hindu : Kerala News : Graft: former forest official charge-sheeted

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Saturday, Oct 02, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Graft: former forest official charge-sheeted

Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, OCT.1. The Vigilance Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has filed a charge-sheet in the Special Court here against the former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, P. K. Surendranathan Asari, and four others, accusing them of causing a total loss of Rs. 90,000 to the exchequer in the execution of the work on a community hall built under the Social Forestry Scheme in Vellarada in the district during 1992.

The other accused are D. Ratheesh, former Assistant Wild Life Warden, Neyyar Dam; Sylaja, former convenor of the community hall construction committee; Thampy Joseph, former convenor of the hall electrification committee; and Janardhanan, proprietor of the Coimbatore-based firm, Fancy Steel Fabrication.

R. Rajendran, former Wild Life Warden, Thiruvananthapuram; and E. Velappan, former Assistant Wild Life Warden, Neyyar Dam, were removed from the array of accused in the case after they went on appeal in the High Court.

Illegal direction

The case is that Ratheesh issued an illegal direction to take up work on the hall and Rajendran accepted a quotation in a false name along with a quotation from Sylaja. The bogus quotation was utilised to award the work to the accused. The task of measuring the work was assigned to engineers employed on daily wages and false vouchers were prepared, whereby Sylaja was allowed to make an illegal profit of Rs. 9,940.

The contract for the supply and fitting of windows and ventilators was awarded to Janardhanan, who quoted a higher price for certain items, the charge-sheet said. While Janardhanan made an illegal profit of Rs. 62,000, Thampy Joseph similarly gained Rs. 18,000.

The Dy.S.P., R. Hithapalan Nair, has submitted a list of 32 witnesses. According to the statement filed by A. Meher Singh, Conservator, who conducted a surprise check on the site in 1994, the estimated construction cost was Rs. 13.5 lakhs. The quality of bricks used was found to be inferior, while water supply and sanitary fittings were not provided.

The estimate provided for `anjili' wood frames and shutters for the doors and windows, but angle-iron frames were seen fixed. While `anjili'-panelled shutters were proposed for the doors, the shutters used were not of `anjili' and were of inferior quality wood with pin-holes, Mr. Singh stated.

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