ACB arrests Financial Advisor of Udaipur Smart City - Udaipur and Kota residences being searched

Financial Advisor demanded a bribe of Rs 3 lakh for releasing payments of service provider

By UdaipurTimes Team Jul 10, 2020, 22:26 IST

Questions are already being raised on the quality of work under the Udaipur Smart City project and the time taken for completing the work. This arrest justifies the doubt that a lot of underhand activity has been going in the name of tenders and passing of bills

Abid Khan, Financial Advisor of Udaipur Smart City project, was arrested while taking a bribe of Rs 3 lac for passing the bill of a service provider in Udaipur Smart City projects.

As per reports, a team from Anti Corruption Bureau, Jaipur raided the office of the Financial Advisor of the Udaipur Smart City projects. This raid was conducted after Praveen Goyal, a service provider to the Udaipur Smart City garbage collection project lodged a complain with Anti Corruption Bureau in Jaipur.

Praveen Goyal holds the responsibility of providing maintenance of vehicles, drivers and helpers for the morning garbage collection work under the Udaipur Smart City project. He raises a monthly bill of approximately Rs 25 lakh. As per the complainant, the Financial Advisor was holding back his bills for the last three months and was demanding a bribe of Rs 3 lakh for passing the bills and releasing the payments.

As per the agreed plan, Praveen paid Rs 1 lakh in pre-marked currency to Arif, and agent of the Financial Advisor on Thursday, 9 July. This was done on the instructions of the Financial Advisor. This verification was done on Thursday itself. Praveen was called to the Financial Advisors office, which is located on the ground floor of the Abhay Control Center (UMC premises). Arif was also present there. Praveen handed over the Rs 2 lakh in marked currency to Arif on the instructions of the Financial Advisor, Abid Khan. Arif then handed over the currency notes to Abid Khan. This was when the ACB team entered the office of the Financial Advisor and caught both Abid Khan and Arif red handed.

As per information provided to UdaipurTimes, bribe and "cuts" are demanded by senior officers of the Udaipur Smart City for major tenders. Crores of rupees tenders have been given in the past under the Udaipur Smart City project. These tenders are probably raised on bribes and cuts. The quality of work done under Udaipur Smart City, be it road work, sewerage work, renovations or surveillance - all of it is questionable as they all are seemingly substandard.

The first tranch bribe of Rs 1 Lakh was recovered from Abid Khan's apartment located at Eden Court apartment in Bhuwana. ACB Jaipur team is conducting search of his residences and related locations both in Udaipur and Kota to come up with information related to his previous such exploits. A case of property and assets in excess of his official income may be lodged if substantial proof is found.

The exercise was conducted under the joint direction and supervision of SP Sanjeev Nayan and ADG Dinesh NM of Anti Corruption Bureau, Jaipur.