2 publishers · first seen Thu, 29 Oct 2026 04:45 UTC · updated Thu, 29 Oct 2026 07:38 UTC
Keralam Public Works Department Minister P.K. Basheer has confirmed that a preliminary inquiry by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) into allegations of corruption in the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) is ongoing, with the report not yet received. The probe concerns irregularities during the 2006 World Bank-funded project worth ₹215 crore to reconstruct the MC Road from Angamaly to Thiruvananthapuram, when Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was PWD secretary.
The inquiry was ordered due to discrepancies in the original 2006 VACB investigation, and follows allegations that the state suffered a loss of ₹700 crore due to inflated contract awards. PWD officials were also accused of demanding ₹2 crore to clear contractor bills. The project was executed by PATI-BEL, a joint venture involving a Malaysian firm, whose project engineer Lee See Been died by suicide in Malaysia after raising complaints during construction.
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