CBI registers case against ASI on Taj Mahal maintenance ‘fraud’
The CBI has registered a case of large-scale corruption in maintenance of archaeological gardens at historical sites in Uttar Pradesh such as the Taj Mahal and The Residency allegedly by Archaeological Survey of India officials in collusion with a private contractor, officials said on Wednesday.
It is alleged that the contractor siphoned off government funds by submitting fake bills showing unskilled workers engaged in the Mysore, Delhi and Kota circles of the ASI tending lawns of historical sites 2,000km away in Lucknow.
Similar bogus bills were also submitted for maintenance of lawns in cities such as Kushinagar, Agra and Kanpur, on the basis of which funds were embezzled by contractor Kuldeep Singh, the officials said.
The complaint, now a part of the FIR, gave specific details about archaeological sites in Lucknow and alleged that similar fraud also took place at the Taj Mahal, Akbar’s tomb garden, Sikandara, Ram Bagh and Fatehpur Sikri in Agra.
The contractor was allegedly aided by ASI officials, including Vineet Agrawal, horticulture assistant, The Residency, Lucknow; P.K. Choudhary, deputy superintending horticulturist posted at the ASI’s Agra Division-I that covers most of Uttar Pradesh; and retired officer Raj Kumar.
Singh was awarded a Rs 2.5-crore contract on October 22, 2019, for the upkeep of archaeological gardens in Uttar Pradesh for 2019-20, and the ASI officials allegedly helped him with forged bills to seek funds.
