How an officer becomes a GM after multi-crores wastage of public money?

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A General Manager retiring taking crores of commission after issuing tenders worth about 3000 crores, even when all know that the work will not happen anyway, whereas a well known malign officer became a General Manager after multi-crores wastage of public money without any hurdle and whole system and departmental vigilance and other investigating agencies are sleeping, and no one is held responsible. Without transportation of passengers almost from last one year – which is the primary function of Railways – how are all activities going on in the Indian Railways, an example –

The Dream project of PM Modi to connect capitals of North East states, specially Imphal of Manipur by 2020 is shattered by three malign NFRailway Officials, these are – 1. ExGM/Construction/NFR N. K. Prasad, 2. ExCAO/Const/NFR & present GM/NWR Anand Prakash, 3. ExCE/Const-7/NFR A. Saibaba. As a result of their wrong doings, project cost which was Rs. 9654 Crores in November, 2016 with 90% progress was increased to Rs.13809 Crores, with indefinite target.

Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal new line project is under construction by Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) in Manipur state. The construction was started by N. F. Railway in 2007 and it was planned in 2015 to connect the capital Imphal by 2020 under the look east policy of Govt. of India and work was accordingly progressing very well to achieve the target 2020, fixed by the Prime Minister.

By April 2016, overall progress of physical work was around 85-90%. Initially total sanctioned detail estimate cost was Rs. 4454 Crores up to March, 2013 and in November, 2016, First Revised Estimate was submitted to Railway Board for Rs. 9654 Crores.

Later on in June, 2018, enhanced Revised Estimate of cost Rs. 13809 Crores was submitted to the Railway Board by above named trio officers (by withdrawing the November, 2016 Revised Estimate) with net difference of Rs. 4156 Crores.

Letter of A. Saibaba addressed to Director/ Works/ Railway Board for revised estimate Cost of Rs. 13809.04 Cr due to additional new items duly approved by N. K. Prasad, GM/Con/NFR as Annexure-1.

Why such a huge difference in both Revised Estimate?

In 2017, three senior Higher officers joined as a new incumbent in this project. They were N. K. Prasad as General Manager/Construction, Anand Prakash as Chief Administrative Officer/Construction, A. Saibaba as Chief Engineer/ Construction.

All three were greedy, unscrupulous and malign people. To earn money, they started to play foul games with this project. Main culprit was Anand Prakash, who was the technical head of this project. He first of all stopped the all ongoing work, on the first day of his joining.

He then changed the earlier schemes of Brides & tunnels. He changed 22 nos. earlier minor bridges into long viaducts (Major Bridges) and introduce a few more new tunnels and also approved extension of already constructed tunnels.

Now he started calling fresh tenders for these works and also plans to execute it by doing enormous variation in the existing contract. GM/Con/NFR has full power to call tenders and approve variations. And this game was being played only among these three officers. A. Saibaba proposed, Anand Prakash recommended and N. K. Prasad Accepted it.

By this way they had called fresh tender or sanctioned variations to the tune of cost Rs. 2000 Crores and each of them earned illegal money approx. 40 to 50 Crores each. As per sources, Anand Prakash siphoned this money to Canada where his two sons are living, via a private company. A. Saibaba opened a consultancy firm in Hyderabad and N. K. Prasad lives in NOIDA in a palatial house of more than Rs. 10 Crores.

In 2019, CM/Manipur N. Biren Singh reviewed the progress of the project at Imphal and all these three officers attended the meeting. CM was very upset about poor progress as he saw that in the last two and half year no work was being done in section.

Then it was revealed that the project is in the tendering and survey stage as these three buggers changed the earlier schemes of bridges and tunnels. He directly complained to the Railway Minister and then Anand Prakash and A. Saibaba was transferred and new CAO/Con Mohan Lal and new CE/Con posted in 2019.

CM/Manipur, N. Biren Singh was the cabinet minister in previous Ex. CM, O. Iboby Sigh Government in Manipur and during his period he had seen the exponentially fast progress of Railway works that is why he caught this fraud and directly complained to Minister of Railway Piyush Goyal.

But in these two and half years of their tenure, they had done substantial damage to project and it again reached the planning and tendering stages as it was in 2007. In these years they were only doing new tender and sanctioned variations and earning money by favouring contractors. Thus they further delayed the project by minimum 5 years besides overall cost overrun of the projects which will be many times. And now this project can not be opened before 2025.

They are so obnoxious and foolish that they had planned new viaducts at locations where earth works have already been completed and minor bridge casted partly or completely. And at each location of these bridges, the Railway had already spent about Rs. 10 to 20 Crores, and it took 5-6 years to complete these works. As a result of their wrong doings, project cost which was Rs. 9654 Crores in November, 2016 with 90% progress was increased to Rs.13809 Crores, with indefinite target.

In planning of 22 nos. new viaducts they mischievously hide the cost of removal of earth works already done in these locations and breaking of minor bridges and other concrete structures i.e. step boxes, diverted road bridge, big retaining walls constructed at these locations in the last 8-10 years and it was not included in revised estimate.

At each location quantity of removal of Earth works involves is to the tune of 5 to 8 lakh m3 as the cut spoils of the adjoin tunnels were dumped in the LONG DEEP Gorge between the two hills.

They had no planning of disposal of these huge qty.of earthwork which was about 100 to 125 lakh m3 in total, in hills areas where disposal of these earthwork would damage the ecosystem of hills and pollute river water which is only drinking water source for hill peoples and animals.

These aspects had also not been taken into account by them. They just want to earn money and flew from the project leaving problems for successor officer and having no responsibility. And hide these costs in their estimate.

Anand Prakash is at present General Manager/North Western Railway and posted at Jaipur. He was the man behind this fraud/Ghotalas. He applied his mind how to mislead the whole system and he manipulated the things as per his ulterior motives and colour his decision as the most technically correct one as if earlier decisions/plannings were just a blunder and he is the right person to correct it.

This man was earlier had worked in N F Railway in the capacity of Chief Engineer/Const. in year 2008-12 in Lumding – Silchar gauge conversion works. He looted huge money there and he had closed nexus with the Guwahati based contractor and he again entered in N F Railway in year 2017 through the then MOSR(G) with the help of two main agencies of Guwahati. At that time he would be GM, so he influenced and intimidated every one.

He is a habitual offender and a notorious looter. He converted the bridge no. 148 between khongsang-Noney section of Jiribam-Imphal new line from minor bridge to major bridge without calling fresh tender whereas technical criteria of major bridge is entirely different from minor bridge. These works were being done by the agency. He helped the agency by doing variation in CA No.. CON/J-T/2028 dated. 14.08.2015, value increased from 60.0 Crores to 85.0 Crores secretly –

1. How he dared to change earlier plannings/ schemes which were going on since 2007 without any authentic field investigations / expert opinions, he was a bastard man. He did it arbitrarily without having any techno economic criteria in his mind and its future repercussion. He acted as a lay man.

2. It will be pertinent to mention that when he was Chief Engineer in Lumding-Silchar Gauge conversion project, he himself took a decision and converted Major Bridges/ Viaducts in Minor RCC bridges on a Techno-economy basis. Copy of his notes taken from relevant files is being enclosed as Annexure-2. Now how he reverted his own decision in Jiribam-Imphal project where Soil strata are much much better and favourable than Lumding-Silchar line. And it is also ridiculous that in so many instances he had quoted his vast experience as Chief Engineer in the Lumding-Silchar project.

Higher level incumbency and Inspection from 2008 to 2016, there were incumbencies of four Chief Administrative Officer/Construction (Radheshyam, A. F. Shevare, S. K. Kulshreshtha and Surinder Pal Singh) and Five General Managers/Const. and no officer questioned / reverted the earlier decisions and work was progressed up to 90% by June, 2016 with the objective to connect Imphal by 2020.

The Project was frequently inspected by all GMs, Railway Board Officials including Additional Member/Civil, but none of any officer ever questioned the plannings/ scheme of the projects.

Now the question arises whether all these officers were foolished, illiterate and inexperienced than Anand Prakash? Why did Anand Prakash do it? This question must be asked from him. It is a public money no one should be authorised to waste it arbitrarily.

In order to settle the dispute of Minor bridge vs Major bridge, Member Engineering/Railway Board, New Delhi, constituted a technical committee of Four Members in January, 2020.

The committee had inspected the site physically at each location of Minor Bridges and gave its report and the same has been accepted by Railway Board and communicated vide its letter no. 2016/W-I/NFR/1st RE/Jiribam-Imphal dated 20.01.2020 by Executive Director/Project Monitoring, Railway Board letter address to CAO/Const./NFR about acceptance of a technical committee report by Member Engineering / Railway board authorizing CAO/Const./NFR to recast estimates as per earlier plannings. A copy of the same is enclosed as Annexure-3.

Thus the expert committee again corroborated the earlier plannings of Minor bridges and other structures. Thus NFR Construction again recast the 1st Revised estimate and submitted it to the Railway Board for Rs. 12264.15 Crores vide NFR/Const. letter no. W/98/CON/Jiribam-Imphal/1st RE, dated 28.02.2020 by CAO/Con/NFR Mohan Lal. A copy of the same is enclosed as Annexure-4.

Who was the architect of this project?

Mohan Lal was that very competent officer. He was Ex. Chief Engineer/Construction & Ex. CAO/Const/NFR of this project. He was CE/C about 8 years since 23.09.2008 to 16.07.2016 and he did a foot by foot survey of the whole project length and decided each location very judiciously based on techno economycriteria and all other aspects.

In his tenure there were incumbencies of four CAO/Con (Radheshyam, A. F. Shevare, S. K. Kulshreshtha and Surinder Pal Singh) and Five GMs/ Construction/NFR and no officer questioned his decision and work was progressed to 90% up to June, 2016 with the objective to connect Imphal by 2020. He was also Chief Bridge Engineer/ N. F. Railway (Open Line).

He vide his letter dated. 17.02.2020 to A. Saibaba CE/Con/VII/ NFR, sought details and discussion about additional 22 nos. Viaducts/Major bridges, in order to avoid infructuous cost of unnecessary construction and recurrent maintenance.

The matter was never discussed by Anand Prakash and A. Saibaba with him, as he wrote this letter in the capacity of Chief Bridge Engineer. Mohan Lal was again posted as CAO/Con/NFR of this project in January, 2019 after the transfer of Anand Prakash.

He immediately stopped all the unproductive, vulnerable and extravagant works after his joining. He optimised the cost of the project by technologically and economically designing it and by maximum optimising the available resources.

He recasted the 1st Revised Estimate in accordance with the recommendations of the Technical Committee Report (as Annexure-3) for Rs. 12264.15 Crores and saved Rs. 13809 Crores – Rs. 12264 Crores = Rs. 1545 Crores, Copy enclosed as Annexure-4.

This is the direct savings along with time savings otherwise with Anand Prakash planning it would cost more than 5000 Cr direct cast along with other vulnerability in structures and maintenance cost due to highly technical structures.

Other documents as a proof of above facts and figures –

In August, 2019, Railway Board asked for detailed clarification/ comments on the 1st revised estimate submitted by Anand Pakash of Rs. 13809 Cr from Mohan Lal when he was Principal Chief Engineer in Eastern Railway. Mohan Lal furnished a detailed reply on each additional item covering all aspects how these items are not required and are merely the wastage of expenditure. His letter addressed to ED/Project Management, Railway Board, New Delhi vide Letter no. JTI/MLBP/2018, dated 17.08.2018. Copy of the same is enclosed as Annexure-5, total 9 pages. Please read it patiently then you understand the criminal act done by Anand Prakash against the people of Manipur as well as to the Nation as a whole.

The dubious Role of Chief Vigilance Officer of NFRailway

Role of local vigilance is very hopeless and all vigilance inspectors and senior officers especially SDGM/NFR himself are involved in it. They are quietly influenced by these three officers and are being obliged in so many ways.

For instance compliance of SDGM/CVO/NFR, Maligaon inspection note of Jiribam-Imphal on 30.05.2018 & 31.05.2018, given by A. Saibaba CE/ C/7/MLG with false information, manipulations and without facts & figures.

And the same was refuted by Mohan Lal CAO/Con/II/MLG vide his letter no. CAO/CON-II/MLG/Insp dated.13.02.2019.

But NFR vigilance is of such a thick skin and white elephant organisation that they had never taken up A. Saibaba for his false clarification and misleading. Copy of the letter given by Mohan Lal to SDGM/CVO/NFR/ Maligaon is enclosed as Annexure-6.

What are the criminal offences these three officers did?

  1. First they misused their post and position and used their power with ulterior motives to earn illegal money. Now it proved that their Integrity is doubtful andthey are unbecoming of Govt. Servant.
  2. They misled the whole railway system and manipulated the project on plea of false technical grounds.
  3. They overruled the decision of all his predecessors from year 2007 to 2016, including General Managers & Railway Board’s. In doing so they had never taken any approval from any higher authority i.e. Railway Board, they themselves proved that all their predecessors Four CAOs & Five GMs were wrong.
  4. They have introduced highly technical, highly vulnerable, most costly structures i.e. viaducts/ Major Bridges, fresh. Cost of each viaduct is 40-50 lakhs per metre and each viaduct would cost RS. 80-100 Crores where as minor bridges at these locations cost /20th to 1/10th of the cost of viaducts. All minor brides were already partly/fully constructed at much much cheaper cost. Construction of these viaducts itself would take 5 years. They delayed the project’s minimum 5 years whereasRailway already invested approx. 9000 Crores in this project and this money is of no use.
  5. In planning of 22 nos. new viaducts they mischievously hide the cost of removal of earth works already done in these locations and breaking of minor bridges and other concrete structures & other aspects had also not been taken into account by them in their estimate otherwise its cost would go to at least 15000 Crores.
  6. Due to their changed plannings, in field at most of the locations (approx. 15 nos.), pilings works were started for major bridges and approx. 300 nos. piles of 1200 mm dia of depth varying from 30 to 36 m casted in the year of 2018 in the whole section from Jiribam to Imphal. These figures can be verified more accurately from the field Tenders/Contracts wise in which these works were executed. Total cost of these piling works and other concreting works is approx. 200 Crores. After technical committee recommendations to go ahead with earlier plannings of minor bridges, these piling works and other related works done at side for Major Bridges now become infructuous and wasted. Thus due decision of these officers, approx. this Rs. 200 Crores had been dumped / buried in ground and Railway Board and Local Vigilance have never bothered to fix responsibility for this fraud.
  7. Thus Manipur, a landlocked state, is further deprived for more than 5 years from rail head. Look East vision / policy of PM Modi also shattered by these three top railway officers in vested interest.
  8. Also this Railway line is of strategic importance for Defence, further delay in its completion would threaten the security of the nation as whole.
  9. Now as per present Revised Estimate there is direct savings of approx. 1545 Cr and by this money India can send two Chandrayaan Mission.

Finally, It is a total and a clearcut fraud case. This case must be handed over to CBI or any other central agency to investigate them. It is a case of “Rashtradroh”. They are the culprit of the people of Manipur as well as nation as a whole. PM Modi is requested to please monitor it personally or handover for judicial enquiry, as they have so many their relatives and friends in CBI and even in CVC at higher post, therefore nothing will happen to them if you are giving this case in others hands.

Published as received and represented by – Suresh Tripathi

Note: All these three officers can send/mail their written rejoinder, if they need to justify their decisions, that will also be published (editor@kanafoosi.com or editor@railsamachar.com).

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