Corruption in Road Construction Projects: Five Public Works Department Officers Arrested Following Exposure by Deceased Journalist from Bijapur, Chhattisgarh
In a significant development, five Public Works Department (PWD) officials in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district have been arrested over corruption and irregularities related to the construction of the Nelasnar-Kodoli-Mirtur-Gangaloor road, a 52.40 km project.
The arrests follow an investigation by a PWD committee that uncovered serious irregularities, including embezzlement, wastage of government funds, and a corrupt nexus with the contractor. The arrested officials include current and retired executive engineers and subordinate officers.
The arrests come after the murder of local journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, who was investigating the poor quality of works and corruption in the construction of the same road. However, the details of his death and its connection, if any, to the PWD corruption case are not yet verified.
The murdered journalist, Mukesh Chandrakar (32), had been exposing corruption in the construction of the road in various publications and news portals before he went missing on January 1, 2023. His body was later found on January 5.
The 11-member special investigation team (SIT) constituted to probe the murder case has filed a 1,241-page chargesheet in the district court. Suresh Chandrakar, the contractor executing the road project, and his brothers Ritesh and Dinesh, along with their supervisor Mahendra Ramteke, have been arrested in connection with Mukesh Chandrakar's murder.
Three other PWD officers, one of them retired, charged with committing irregularities in the same road project, have obtained anticipatory bail.
Meanwhile, the Opposition has criticized a minister over a controversy, but the details of the controversy and its connection to the murder case are not specified. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has demanded the ouster of the minister over the controversy, but there is no connection between the minister and the events in Bijapur district.
In a separate incident, the Opposition has criticized the sports portfolio being given to a minister who was recently caught playing rummy, but no new facts about this controversy are available at present.
[1] Anticipatory bail: a pre-arrest bail granted by a court to prevent the arrest of an accused person on the grounds that the arrest would cause hardship or prejudice to the accused.
- The general-news coverage on the murder of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar and the arrests of PWD officers in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district for corruption has extended to include crime-and-justice aspects, as three of the accused officers have obtained anticipatory bail.
- While the Opposition continues to criticize various political figures, the controversy surrounding the sports portfolio given to a minister who was recently caught playing rummy falls under the politics category, as it raises questions about accountability and ethical standards, but there is currently no verified connection to the recent incidents in Bijapur district.
