Corruption Allegations Resurface in Kerala's 2006 Road Project: What You Need to Know

Ongoing Investigation into Kerala's Transport Project

Thiruvananthapuram: The Minister for Public Works in Kerala, PK Basheer, announced on Thursday that the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) is currently conducting a preliminary inquiry into corruption allegations linked to a road project initiated two decades ago. This project was overseen by Gyanesh Kumar, who was the Public Works Department (PWD) secretary at the time.

During the question hour in the Kerala Assembly, Basheer addressed inquiries from BJP MLAs BB Gopakumar, V Muraleedharan, and Rajeev Chandrasekhar regarding the ongoing investigation's status.

The minister explained that the VACB's preliminary inquiry was prompted by inconsistencies found in a previous investigation conducted in 2006. He revealed that the alleged irregularities could have resulted in a staggering loss of ₹700 crore to the state government.

The focus of the investigation is the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP), which was initiated in 2006 while Gyanesh Kumar was serving as the PWD secretary. This project, funded by the World Bank, aimed to reconstruct the MC Road stretching from Angamaly to Thiruvananthapuram, with a budget of ₹215 crore.

The project was awarded to PATI-BEL, a collaboration between a Malaysian company and Bhageeratha Engineering. The Malaysian firm was responsible for executing the work, and its project engineer, Lee See Been, reportedly raised multiple complaints during the construction phase before tragically taking his own life after returning to Malaysia.