Panchayat raj engineer caught accepting bribe

Eluru: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) sleuths caught a Deputy Executive Engineer (DEE) of Panchayati Raj Department while accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from a contractor at Bhimadole on Thursday.

The Deputy Executive Engineer demands a bribe of Rs 10,000 to sanction work order bill amount of contractor

According to ACB DSP V Gopala Krishna, the DEE of panchayati raj, Bhimadole, MA Saleem demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000 to sanction work order bill amount by contractor Areti Satish of Nidamarru. The DSP said the government had sanctioned construction of a Panchayati building of Peda Nidrakolanu village in Nidamarru mandal of Unguturu constituency.

Under NREGS work, Rs 30 lakh was sanctioned for it. However, the government has directed to utilise Rs 15 lakh only as per the Government Order (GO) issued recently. Contractor Areti Satish who is a close relative of Pedanindrakolanu sarpanch Vanga Sita Kumari taken up the works.

He completed construction of building in three phases and applied bills for payment of Rs 5 lakh. The Nidamarru Assistant Engineer has registered the work done in the check-measurement book and sent it to Bhimadole DEE office on June 24. The contractor approached DEE and requested him to sanction the amount at an earliest. The DEE demanded 2 per cent of commission for the bill sanctioning amount Rs 10,000.

When the DEE adamant, the contractor lodged a complaint with ACB officials in Eluru. The officials gave him five Rs 2,000 denomination notes. On Thursday, the contractor approached the DEE and paid him the currency notes given by the ACB sleuths. When the DEE accepting the bribe, the ACB officials raided him and seized the currency notes.

The team also raided the house of DEE at Polasanipalli village in Bhimadole mandal and recovered Rs 8.50 lakh cash, ornaments, house site pattas and farm land documents.