It is alleged that the contractor misappropriated government funds by submitting fake bills showing unskilled workers engaged in Mysore, Delhi and Kota divisions of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) maintaining gardens of historical sites in Lucknow. According to the official, the contractor was sent to Vineet Agarwal, Horticulture Assistant, Residency, Lucknow; The horticulture ASI was reportedly assisted by ASI officials including Deputy Superintendent PK Choudhary posted in Agra Division-I and retired officer Raj Kumar.
He said that Singh was awarded a contract of Rs 2.5 crore on October 22, 2019 for the maintenance of Archaeological Parks in Uttar Pradesh for the year 2019-20 and then this contract was extended for the next year on the same amount.
Fraud also happened in Sikandra, Ram Bagh and Fatehpur Sikri
According to the official, similar fake bills were submitted for maintenance of gardens in cities like Kushinagar, Agra, Kanpur, on the basis of which huge amount was embezzled by contractor Kuldeep Singh. The complaint, which is now a part of the FIR, gave specific details about archaeological sites in Lucknow and alleged that the Taj Mahal of the Archaeological Survey of India in Agra, Akbar’s Tomb Gardens, Sikandra, Ram Bagh and Fatehpur Sikri were similar. fraud has taken place.
Showing the deployment of fake laborers, got lakhs of rupees to the contractor
The complaint said that Agarwal allegedly helped Singh in making forged documents. These fake documents show the deployment of seven fake laborers working under the Mysore division, namely Megavan, Manokran, Komal, Kuppammal, Kala Ke Kuppan, Ilangovan and Ayyasamy. It said that the ASI officer in connivance of Chaudhary and Kumar “verified” the forged documents, on the basis of which Singh was given an amount of lakhs of rupees.
Showed laborers working in Kota and Lucknow at the same time
The complaint alleges that similarly, for January 2020, bills for maintenance of ‘The Residency’ were issued in the name of eight laborers enlisted in the Delhi Division. Officials said the two bills showed that eight laborers from Kota, Rajasthan were working at the same time at both Kota and The Residency, Lucknow.