The Indian Army’s Eastern Command has recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in a housing project for armed forces in Kolkata, reported The Economic Times.
The said property, constructed under the Married Accommodation Project (MAP), was found to have tilted buildings. The buildings had faulty foundations, which eventually led to the distortion of their structure. An inquiry was thus conducted in 2018 by the Eastern Army Command. The Army hinted at the ‘structural distress’ in the project, owing to the nexus between the contractors and the officials supervising the project. The Army then recommended a CBI probe into the matter, said the ET report.
“We had to make an example out of the case and convey that such instances of impropriety will not be tolerated and shall be dealt with a heavy hand,” a source was quoted as saying.
Probe handed over to CBI
Contrary to the usual norms where such officials are prosecuted under the Army Act, the case has been handed over to the CBI due to involvement of outside parties and the angle of financial impropriety. Reportedly, the case is a part of an internal investigation by the army into several such housing projects, which are supervised by the Military Engineering Service (MES).
Similar Army inquiries were conducted in MAP projects in Delhi after several structural defects surfaced at the Salaria complex. The complex, which houses armed force officers has been described as a ‘war zone’, owing to its condition. Even though the inquiry has been completed, no action has been taken so far against the officials.
