Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi: Former Kerala minister Ebrahim Kunju is likely in for trouble over the Palarivattom flyover scam. The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau will interrogate the former Public Works Department (PWD) minister over the irregularities in the project that likely caused the shoddy construction of the structure built over an arterial road in Ernakulam. The sleuths have reportedly got strong evidence against the Indian Union Muslim League politician.
The Vigilance sleuths plan to grill Ebrahim Kunju again after former PWD secretary T O Sooraj alleged that it was the former minister who had decided to give advance amount to the construction firm.
The probe team would also question other officials linked to this. The decision was taken during a meet of the probe team held at the Vigilance headquarters in which ADGP S Anil Kant also took part.
The meet also analysed the evidence collected so far. The probe team also appraised the senior officers that any swift arrests would be termed as a political move and dissuaded against doing so. However, higher-ups said that if the government was to intervene in the case, his arrest might not be delayed.
Sooraj and a few others have been already arrested.
Sooraj, the fourth accused in the case, had raised the charges against Ebrahim Kunju on Thursday when he was presented in the Vigilance court for renewing his remand period.
Implicating the former minister Sooraj stated the order to release the advance amount without interest to RDS Projects was issued by the then PWD minister Ebrahim Kunju after Mohammed Hanish, the MD of the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK), had made a recommendation in this regard.
RDS Projects was the flyover builder and Hanish's RBDCK was the agency implementing the project.
Sooraj further alleged that the former minister rejected his demand to levy seven per cent interest from the construction firm. The former PWD secretary also said that these points were mentioned in a file, which was signed by the then minister.
During the last round of questioning, the probe team had found discrepancies in the statements of Ebrahim Kunju. He would now have to give explanations over that.
The Palarivattom flyover was inaugurated on October 12, 2016. The flaws in the flyover were detected in July 2017 and the facility was closed for traffic on May 1, 2019 owing to safety concerns.
Remand period extended
The Vigilance court has extended the remand period of Sooraj and other accused RDS Projects MD Sumit Goel, RBDCK additional general manger M T Thankachan, and KITCO joint general manager Benny Paul to October 3.
The High Court would consider their bail pleas on September 24.
The Ernakulam unit of the Vigilance had arrested the accused on August 30 and the Vigilance court had sent them in remand till September 2.
The Vigilance then took them in custody for questioning till September 5. The accused were again remanded till September 19. In between, the Muvattupuzha Vigilance court had also rejected their bail pleas.
The accused have been lodged at the Muvattupuzha sub-jail for the past 21 days.
Flyover demolition next month
The demolition of the flyover is likely to begin by October first week. A decision in this regard was taken during a meet of the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society Ltd and E Sreedharan, the principal advisor of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), who would be leading the rebuilding project.
Though it was decided to entrust the society with the demolition and rebuilding, a deal in this regard is yet to be signed.
Society chairman Rameshan Paleri said the schedule for demolishing the flyover would be worked out only after the contract was officially awarded to his firm.
The office-bearers of the society held talks with Sreedharan and DMRC officials for an hour on Thursday.
Suggesting that the demolition could be hastened, Paleri said the required machinery and tools are already deployed for another work at the Infopark, near the flyover.
We plan to complete the work on a war-footing so that the public is not inconvenienced, he added.
