EOW registers 2 FIRs against Chhattisgarh Samvad ex-CEO

RAIPUR: Th e Economic Offence Wing/Anti-Corruption Bureau (EOW/ACB) of Chhattisgarh has registered two cases against IAS officer Rajesh Sukumar Toppo for allegedly manipulating the tender process to hire two public relations firms during the previous BJP regime.
The FIR has been lodged after a report, submitted by the committee constituted to probe irregularities in tendering process at Chhattisgarh Samvad where Rajesh Sukumar Toppo was the chief executive officer.Two private companies have also been named in the FIR.
The EOW has registered two cases against Toppo and two companies under section 7 C, 13 (1) (a) of prevention of corruption act 1988 and section 120 (B) of IPC. EOW has carried out an extensive investigation and found financial impropriety and irregularity in the tendering process, said sources.
As per the two FIRs filed on April 10, the actions of 2005-batch IAS officer Rajesh Sukumar Toppo caused a loss of Rs 1.70 crore to the exchequer.
Toppo, as director of public relations department and CEO of Samvad, cancelled two tenders floated for hiring agencies to publicise government's schemes.
He issued fresh tenders and allegedly in collusion with other officials to hire two agencies-Ahmedabad-based Moving Pixels Private Limited and another company Cubes Media & Branding Private Limited from Raipur.
The tender bagged by the Ahmedabad-based agency allegedly caused a loss of Rs 1.12 crore while the one awarded to the Raipur-based firm resulted in a loss of Rs 62 lakh, the FIR said.
Commissioner-cum-director of DPR Taran Prakash Sinha had ordered a detailed enquiry in the alleged irregularities which had taken place in directorate of public relations during previous BJP regime.
Subsequently, a six-member committee headed by Umesh Mishra, additional chief executive officer, Chhattisgarh Samvad with additional director (PR) Swaraj Kumar Das, additional director (PR) Jamuna Sandiya, joint director (PR) Pankaj Gupta, Sharatchandra Patra Manager (Finance-Samvad) as members and joint director (Finance-PR) R K Chatre as member secretary.
The enquiry committee, formed after the Congress came to power in December last year, pointed out those fresh tenders were floated only to benefit the two private agencies.