CBI Investigates NEERI Officials and Private Firms for Corruption

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered three separate cases against ten people, including a former director of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, on allegations of criminal conspiracy and corruption in tendering and procurement.

The CBI acted on a complaint from the Chief Vigilance Officer of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The accused include five public servants and several private firms based in Navi Mumbai, Thane, Powai-Mumbai, and Prabhadevi-Mumbai.

Searches were conducted at 17 locations in Maharashtra, Haryana, Bihar, and Delhi, leading to the recovery of incriminating documents, property-related documents, jewelry, and other items.

Details of the Cases

First Case

The first case involves two public servants and three private firms. The accused public servants are the former Director and the former Senior Scientist and Head of the Director’s Research Cell at CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur. The private firms are based in Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Powai-Mumbai. It is alleged that the public servants conspired with these private companies to allow cartelization, collusive bidding, and splitting of tenders without obtaining financial concurrence from the competent authority.

Second Case

The second case involves the former Director and a former Principal Scientist at CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur, along with a private firm based in Prabhadevi-Mumbai. The allegations include abusing official positions to benefit the private firm during 2018-2019. A joint proposal for advisory services for the closure of a dumping site was allegedly approved without consulting the Financial Advisor, CSIR.

Third Case

The third case involves two public servants and two private firms, including the aforementioned Navi Mumbai-based firm. The public servants are accused of conspiring with the private companies to commit irregularities in the procurement and installation of WAYU-II devices, a patented technology of NEERI. The bidding process was allegedly manipulated, and the license agreement for the technology had expired before the bidding process concluded.