The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday registered two separate FIRs on the allegations of malpractices in the award of tenders for the procurement of a road sweeping machine and for the setting up of a chemist shop inside AIIMS in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.

CBI also conducted multiple riads at 24 different locations in UP, Uttarakhand, Haryana, and Delhi.

One FIR is related to a loss of approximately Rs 2.41 crore in allegations of malpractices in the award of tenders for the procurement of a road sweeping machine.

The accused were identified as Balram Ji Omar, then Additional Professor, Department of Microbiology, Dr. Brijendra Singh, then Professor and Head, Department of Anatomy, Dr Anubha Agarwal, then Assistant Professor (Hospital Administration) AIIMS (on a contractual basis), Shashi Kant, then Administrative Officer, Deepak Joshi, then Accounts Officer, Puneet Sharma, Proprietor of Pro-Medic Devices, Khaneja Complex, Shakarpur in Delhi, other unknown public servants and private persons.

The second FIR is related to a loss of approximately Rs 2 crore in the allotment of tender for setting up a chemist shop at AIIMS Rishikesh. The accused were identified as Pankaj Sharma, Partner of M/s Triveni Sewa Pharmacy, Shubham Sharma, Partner of M/s Triveni Sewa Pharmacy, Triveni Sewa Pharmacy in Dilshad Colony, Shahrada, Delhi, and unknown public servants.

A senior CBI official said that they registered two separate cases against the accused including then Additional Professors, then Assistant Professor, then Administrative Officer, then Accounts Officer of AIIMS, Rishikesh (Uttarakhand), Proprietor of a private firm based in New Delhi; private persons; private firm based at Delhi and unknown others on the allegations of malpractices in the award of tenders for procurement of road sweeping machine and for setting up of a chemist shop inside AIIMS, Rishikesh.

According to the official, it was alleged in the FIR the accused public servants violated the guidelines of the Government of India pertaining to the tendering process, dishonestly screened out reputed bidders on bogus grounds, and allowed insignificant firms who had misrepresented facts in their tender documents, to remain in the fray. It was also alleged that the accused deliberately ignored the existence of Cartel formation in these Tenders, the senior CBI official said.

“The accused thereafter allegedly caused the disappearance of crucial evidence of the offence. An alleged loss of approximately Rs 2.41 crore in the procurement of a road sweeping machine and approximately Rs 2 crore in the award of tender for setting up of a chemist shop was caused to AIIMS,” he added. (ANI)