THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi, May 8: Much to the chagrin of the Jharkhand government, the ED today searched the offices of the Rural Development Department in the State secretariat and recovered Rs 1.75 lakh new currency notes and Rs 28,000 old 500 notes from the official chamber of Minister Alamgir Alam’s Private Secretary Sanjeev Lal’s official chamber.
The ED, which has the remand of Sanjeev Lal, took him to his office and examined various files.
ED enters govt secretariat
The ED’s action has stirred up a buzz not only in administrative circles but also in political corridors. This is the first time that an ED team has entered a government ministry.
The ED has received information that the money collected in the name of commission from contracts in the Rural Development Department of Jharkhand Government used to reach Sanjeev Lal. He used to use the engineers of the department and some private people to collect money.
The ED has told the court that right from lower officials to high-ranking officials of the Jharkhand Government’s Rural Development Department are involved in the entire corruption. Crores of rupees reached officers and politicians.
Notably, the ED recovered Rs 35.23 crore after it raided various locations of Jehangir Alam, Lal and two engineers on May 6.
Initial investigation has revealed that a huge amount of money was given to all of them in cash.
One office of the Rural Development Department is located in the Project Building, where the minister sits, while the other office is in the APP Building. Departmental secretaries, along with other officials and employees, work in this office.
Politicians and officers’ commission is 1.5 percent
The ED has found in its investigation that a total of 3.2 per cent was collected in departmental contracts. In this, 1.5 per cent commission went to big politicians and senior officials of the department as cut money.
It has come to light in the investigation that commission collection went to influential people under the supervision of Sanjeev Lal. Money was collected in connivance with the syndicate of engineers even for managing tenders and collecting commission. After this, a fixed percentage was given to high-ranking people of the government.
Rs 35.23 crore commission generated in three months
According to the facts that came out in the ED investigation, the Rs 31.20 crore recovered from Jahangir’s Gadikhana flat was collected in just three months. The flat was also purchased a few months ago in Jahangir’s name only so that the money could be kept here.
The Rs 2.93 crore recovered from Munna Singh’s house was also to be shifted here, but before that, the ED team raided and recovered this money.