EOW may question top officials in CHiPS over e-tender scam

RAIPUR: Two days after the Special Investigation Team of Economic Offences Wing (EOW) raided Chhattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society (CHiPS), EOW officials have indicated that Rs 4000 crore e-tender scam involves decision relating to payment of huge amounts and value, hence the top officials in the department may have to undergo interrogation as well.
On Saturday, EOW inspector general of police SRP Kalluri has gone to CHiPS office with team to collect more evidences and documents.According to EOW superintendent of police Kalyan Elesela, chances are high that interrogation might take place with the senior officers including the CEO, secretary and principal secretary.
He added that decisions involved relate to payment of huge amounts and tenses of high value, hence, details would be sought from top level officers. As of now, EOW team is understanding the process and collecting evidences.
He added that the probe has been paced up and lot of data was being recovered while expert teams from Hyderabad and Mumbai are also expected to arrive for investigation. The data collected would then be sent for detailed study.
EOW raided office of CHiPS on Thursday after formation of SIT to investigate the irregularities in Rs 4000 crore e-tender scam. The SIT was formed soon after Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) raised concerns over online tenders filed for e-procurement process from 2006-2017 in BJP regime.
The CAG had exposed 477 bidders across the 17 departments used 74 common computers for 1971 tenders worth Rs 4,601 crore giving rise to suspicion that bidders and government officials were “in close touch” before the bidding process began. CHiPS, under the Department of Information and Technology, had set up a system to allocate work above Rs 10 lakh through tenders. The CAG report pointed out that that the Income Tax Act was violated as “multiple bidders with common email IDs and five tenders worth Rs 15.44 crore were given to ineligible contractors.”