The Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau is examining files from a 2006 preliminary inquiry involving alleged irregularities during the upgrade of the MC Road under the Kerala State Transport Project, Vigilance Director Manoj Abraham said on Thursday. The department is expected to decide its next course of action in about a week.
The review follows an earlier direction from Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala to examine allegations linked to the tenure of Gyanesh Kumar, who was serving as Public Works Department Secretary in 2006 and is now the Chief Election Commissioner. Abraham said the department was scrutinising the available records before deciding whether further action was required.
“We are still examining that. The examination part is going on. The CD file is a very old case. So based on the petition, we are examining the files, and we can decide after a week or so,” Abraham said, according to the report.
The matter concerns the alleged death by suicide of Malaysian civil engineer Lee See Been. He was associated with the PATI-BEL consortium involved in upgrading the MC Road under the Kerala State Transport Project. The engineer’s alleged suicide note reportedly named Gyanesh Kumar, who was the PWD Secretary at the time. The report does not establish the allegations against Kumar as proven.
The fresh scrutiny has been initiated amid allegations that the preliminary inquiry conducted in 2006 was derailed by external pressure. The Kerala Home Department has sought the relevant files connected to the earlier Vigilance inquiry. Chennithala has directed the Vigilance Director to conduct a detailed examination of the allegations and take appropriate action based on the findings.
The case places renewed focus on the way public works investigations are handled when allegations concern major transport infrastructure projects and senior officials. The MC Road upgrade was undertaken through the Kerala State Transport Project, with the PATI-BEL consortium associated with the work. The current inquiry is examining the old records and the circumstances surrounding the earlier investigation rather than announcing a finding against any individual.
Abraham’s statement means the immediate next step is an internal review of the files obtained from the 2006 preliminary inquiry. A decision on the matter is expected after the scrutiny is completed, likely within about a week, according to the Vigilance Director.
