VACB begins probe into alleged irregularities in Mundamveli P&T apartment project in Kochi

A Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) team led by DySP P. Rajkumar conducted an inspection at the P&T Apartment Complex at Mundamveli in West Kochi after the Keralam government recently ordered a Vigilance probe into the alleged irregularities in its construction.

The team also comprised engineers from the Public Works Department (PWD), since the alleged irregularities fall within their area of technical expertise. The officials inspected the apartments and their immediate surroundings. They also interacted with residents and members of the protest committee under whose aegis an indefinite agitation is under way, demanding the immediate rehabilitation of the residents.

“This was the first inspection as part of the preliminary inquiry. A lot more needs to be done in the coming days before we submit a report to the VACB director,” said VACB sources.

Credentials questioned

However, the P&T Apartment Protest Committee has questioned the credentials of a couple of officials in the team accusing them of being close to CPI(M) leadership. “Therefore, we strongly demand that the State government assign the probe to other officers. We are apprehensive that justice will not be served if these officials are part of the probe,” said the committee president Abhilash P. Parameswaran

The VACB had sought sanction to conduct the inquiry based on a basic verification. Subsequently, on September 22, the Home Department issued an order directing the VACB to conduct a PE under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act into the alleged irregularities in the construction. The order, issued by the Additional Chief Secretary, directed the VACB director to conduct the inquiry against the officials responsible for the irregularities detected. The inquiry report should be submitted to the government within the stipulated time, the order said.

The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) constructed the complex, comprising two four-storey towers, at an estimated cost of over ₹14.62 crore to rehabilitate 77 families from the now-demolished flood-prone P&T Colony in the Gandhi Nagar division of the Kochi Corporation. The project was jointly funded under PMAY, the LIFE Mission and Cochin Smart Mission Limited.

The families were shifted to the apartment complex on January 31, 2024. The apartments began leaking during the first spell of rain exactly a fortnight later. Eventually, even the toilets started leaking, with filth trickling into the kitchens of apartments on the lower floors. The Hindu had recently highlighted the plight of the affected families.