Anti-Corruption Bureau Books 11 Over Sohna Streetlight Project

GURUGRAM: A decade-old streetlight contract in Sohna has returned to the centre of a criminal investigation after the Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau registered a case against 11 people over alleged procurement irregularities in a Rs 4.87 crore municipal project.

The accused named in the case include former engineering and municipal officials as well as private contractors. The FIR was registered at the bureau's Gurugram police station after a preliminary inquiry estimated that the state exchequer may have suffered a loss of at least Rs 80 lakh. The allegations have not yet been tested in court, and registration of an FIR does not establish guilt.

Investigators are examining how poles, lighting units and associated material were priced, approved and supplied for work undertaken in 2015. The preliminary inquiry alleges that some items were bought at rates about 25 per cent above prevailing market prices. It also points to the use of products that did not match the brands specified in project records.

Procurement trail under scrutiny

The bureau suspects that work was divided among several agencies in a manner that bypassed normal procurement safeguards. Some contractors allegedly received assignments beyond the limits allowed by their licences. Investigators will now compare tender conditions, bid papers, purchase invoices, inspection records and payment approvals to establish who took each decision.

The project was originally expected to be completed within three months. According to the inquiry, payments were cleared even though the work took several months longer and records demonstrating completion within the approved schedule were not supplied. Officials are also looking at whether tender dates received adequate publicity and why the bidding field remained narrow after extensions.

The case has been registered under provisions dealing with criminal conspiracy, cheating and breach of trust, along with the Prevention of Corruption Act. Those sections describe the allegations being investigated; they are not findings against any individual at this stage.

Files will decide the next phase

Sohna Municipal Council officials have said most records connected with the old project are already with the investigating agency. That makes the paper trail especially important. Measurement books, stock registers and installation certificates should show whether material was delivered in the quantity and specification for which public money was released.

The bureau has indicated that it will also examine whether the suspected loss is wider than the preliminary estimate and whether any additional beneficiaries were involved. A decade between execution and prosecution can make witness recollection less reliable, but official records remain capable of fixing the sequence of approvals.

For Sohna residents, the investigation is not simply about the price of a lamp or pole. Streetlighting is a basic safety service funded through municipal budgets. If rates were inflated or specifications diluted, the city paid more while receiving less. The public-interest test now is a document-led investigation that distinguishes administrative delay from deliberate collusion and places evidence, not accusation, before the court.