Times News NetworkKanpur: In the Kanpur Municipal Corporation tender scam, six FIRs have been filed against the operators of several firms, and police have arrested two contractors. The alleged mastermind, Govind Sharma, is still on the run, said Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal on Tuesday.Lal said that municipal commissioner Arpit Upadhyay has lodged five complaints after which cases were registered at Swaroop Nagar police station. A sixth case was filed at Fazlaganj police station based on a contractor’s complaint.Meanwhile, the old tendering process of the KMC will bereplaced by the online e-tendering for pending and upcoming works. Tenders worth approximately Rs 100 crore have been cancelled, and re-tendering proceedings are being initiated.The cases involving related firms, bank accounts, and financial transactions are under investigation, and approximately seven firms have been blacklisted. The possible involvement of officials will also be probed, and strict legal action will be taken against those found guilty. In line with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s zero-tolerance policy, impartial and effective action will be ensured in these cases.The cases were registered against firms and their operators, including M/s Dilip Bajpai, M/s Ajay Enterprises, M/s Parasnath Builders, Kaila Enterprises, Tirupit Traders, and Jagdamba Enterprises. Two FIRs were lodged against Jagdamba Enterprises. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also been set up to probe the matter.According to police, a cartel was active within the KMC, controlling how contracts were divided among registered firms, the rates at which tenders were submitted and how much work each firm received.The police commissioner said that contractor Govind Sharma, resident of Agra, led the network and his firm obtained the largest number of contracts.Govind allegedly threatened the contractors and ensured tenders were submitted at 15% below the standard rate. Once the rate opened at 85%, a lucky draw would be held, and the contract would ultimately be awarded only to a firm linked to Govind, he said.Lal said Govind had previously worked in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh before moving to Kanpur and expanding his network. Contractors Sandeep Jain and Rajjan Bajpai were also part of the cartel, he added.In the KMC, 400 firms were registered for small-scale works, while 27 were registered for major projects. The action came after irregularities were uncovered in an inquiry conducted by the municipal commissioner. Upadhyay said that six FIRs had been filed against operators of seven firms, and process of filing seventh FIR was underway.He said five cases were filed at Swaroop Nagar police station on his complaint, while one was registered at Fazlaganj police station on the complaint of contractor Sunny Singh. In his complaint, the contractor alleged that he was threatened and forced to withdraw his tender.Lal said the accused firm operators were booked under sections related to cheating, criminal intimidation, and extortion.He added that the GST TIN numbers and bank accounts of blacklisted firm operators were being scrutinized, along with inquiries into how many additional firms were registered, how the cartel functioned, and under whose protection Govind Sharma operated.To examine these issues, a four-member SIT was formed under ADCP Central Dr. Archana Singh. The team includes ACP Swaroop Nagar Jyoti Shri, Fazlaganj Inspector Dhananjay Pandey, and Swaroop Nagar Inspector Devendra Singh. Lal said that the SIT would also look into complaints of corruption at KMC.Govind Sharma fled early on Tuesday after learning of the arrests of contractors Sandeep Jain and Rajjan Bajpai. His last known location was traced to Rajasthan, said Lal. Proceedings under Gangsters Act will be initiated against the accused, he added.On Saturday, Aug 22, the CM had sharply rebuked officials via video conference over irregularities in the KMC’s functioning.
