Suspected fake FDRs at Jawhar PWD; file of original papers vanishes from clerk's table

A case of suspected bogus fixed deposit receipts (FDRs) has surfaced in the Public Works Department (PWD) in Jawhar. The department is already embroiled in controversy over development funds running into crores of rupees. Suspicion is deepening that FDRs of a nationalised bank submitted in the tender process were fake. Amid this, it has also emerged that the original papers that could establish the truth were stolen from the government office.

The disappearance of the file as the inquiry moves ahead is raising several questions. Suspicion is being voiced that it may have been a pre-planned conspiracy to destroy evidence of corruption.

In the PWD tender process, contractors have to deposit 1 to 2 per cent of the total value of the work as security deposit. The amount is given in the form of an FDR of a nationalised bank. Under the rules, no FDR is issued without the money being deposited directly in the bank.

Sharad Patil of the Shivkranti Sanghatana has alleged that in the Jawhar PWD, favoured contractors openly flouted government rules by submitting fake FDRs for works worth from lakhs to crores of rupees. On the basis of this suspicion, he had sought detailed information, providing a list of tender numbers and FDR numbers.

Taking note of the complaint, the department had the concerned branch of the State Bank of India begin verifying whether these FDRs were genuine. But before the bank's report could bring out the truth, a dramatic incident took place in the office. The file of original papers disappeared mysteriously from the table of Gaikwad, a senior clerk of the department.

CCTV footage from the office shows an unidentified person taking the papers away. Gaikwad has filed a formal complaint with the Jawhar police in the matter.

Sanjay Dongre, Executive Engineer of the PWD in Jawhar, said the disappearance of papers from the table is a serious matter and an official complaint has been lodged with the Jawhar police immediately. According to him, the police are investigating the case in depth and strict legal action will be taken against the guilty.

There is talk that such sensitive papers could not have been stolen from a government table without collusion inside the office. Earlier cases of fake bills and forged papers have come up, and now a new case of bogus FDRs has emerged. This has raised questions about the entire functioning of the Jawhar PWD. Sharad Patil has demanded that the matter be investigated impartially by the CID or a high-level committee.