VACB seizes files on ₹12 crore Kannur panchayat contracts
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau is investigating allegations that contracts were awarded to a firm accused of being a benami company.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has seized five files from the Kannur district panchayat office regarding contracts worth more than ₹12 crore. According to The Hindu, the investigation concerns contracts awarded to Carton India Alliance Private Limited during the tenure of former Kannur district panchayat president P.P. Divya.
The complaint alleges that the contracts were granted through irregular means and that the company is a benami firm of Ms. Divya. The seized documents reportedly involve projects such as the construction of an Animal Birth Control centre and modular toilets.
Kerala Students Union (KSU) State vice-president P. Muhammed Shammas lodged the complaint during the previous government’s tenure. He alleged that corruption was involved in awarding the contracts to the firm.
The investigation, led by the VACB’s North Range Superintendent of Police, may also extend to Steels and Industrial Forgings Limited (SILK), the public sector undertaking through which the contracts were awarded. The VACB team will review the documents to determine the next steps in the probe.
Carton India Alliance Private Limited has denied the allegations. The company maintains that the contracts were secured via the e-tendering process and described the benami company claim as baseless.