Manipur: FIR filed against former CM Okram Ibobi Singh among others for alleged graft
IMPHAL | Mar 28, 2018
Vigilance and anti-corruption police station registered an FIR against former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh and two former project directors of Loktak Development Authority (LDA) for alleged graft.
The FIR was registered by the police station of the department on March 24 after a complaint lodged by additional superintendent of police of the department, Khuplen Lhouvum. Deputy superintendent of police of the same department, Leena Yumnam will investigate the case.
The project directors named in the FIR are Ch. Gojendro Singh and Th. Ibobi Singh. The three persons were charged under Section 420, 120-B of IPC and Section 13 (2) read with 13 (1) (d) of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988. Under the sections they were charged with cheating, criminal conspiracy, criminal misconduct and abusing official position by public servant.
The FIR also said the alleged offenses were committed during the period from August 2008 and October 2009. Ibobi was the chairman of LDA during that period. Sources believed that the case is related to the multi-crore Loktak lake cleaning scam.
The Rs. 244-crore work, which was awarded by the LDA to K Pro Infra Works Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Hyderabad-based Progressive Construction Ltd project, involved cleaning of 132-lakh cubic metres of phumdi (floating bio-mass) from Loktak.
Ibobi government took up the project to clean the water, environment and ecology of the 236.21 square km lake from pollution caused by floating of bio-mass and human habitation on huts on the phumdis.
After the BJP came to power in Delhi, the party strongly demanded an inquiry into the Loktak scam. BJP Manipur in-charge Prahlad Singh Patel lodged a complaint with the Central Vigilence Commission in 2015 seeking an inquiry into the matter. Subsequently the Central Vigilence Commission referred the Loktak scam to the Union Cabinet secretariat.
Patel also lodged similar conplaint with the Niti Aayog in the same year. The BJP leaders charged that implementation of the project had involved misuse of crores of rupees.
Tehelka magazine had questioned how a company, K Pro with only 10 lakhs as paid up capital and existing only on paper with none living in the residential flat claimed to be its office in New Delhi received the multi-crore work orders.
It may be recalled that another FIR was registered by the Imphal police station in September last year in connection with alleged misappropriation of huge amount of money in the Manipur Development Society (MDS). Ibobi secured an-anticipatory bail in this case.
The FIR, registered under various sections of the IPC and Personal Liabilities Act, 1998, also named three former chief secretaries – D.S. Ponia, P.C. Lawmkunga and O. Nabakishore Singh, a former project director of MDS, Y. Ningthem Singh, and administrative officer of MDS, S. Ranjit Singh as accused.
While Poonia and Lawmkunga retired, Nabakishore Singh was removed from the post of chief secretary after the BJP-led government came to power in March last year. No one has been arrested in connection with the latest case.
