TNEB men who won contracts on wives’ firm, on DVAC radar

The DVAC in its FIR cited U Umashankar, AEE, Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation (Tantransco), K Kumar, AEE, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco), along with private individuals K Selvapriya, wife of Umashankar, M Sumithra, wife of Kumar and S Kumarapandian, as accused in the case. The three were partners in the firm – Trinity Contracts and Services, that received contracts. 

DVAC said that two engineers and their wives entered into a criminal conspiracy to commit the crime and abet the offences of criminal misconduct. The two EB officials formed the company in their wives’ name without intimating their higher officials. 

The two then made their wives to give application to Tangedco on 3 March 2016, and to Tantransco on March 4, 2016, to register their firm as class I contractors to carry out civil, electrical and mechanical work to the value up to Rs 75 lakh. The registration is valid till March, 2021. 

The two officials then made their wives to participate in tender process in two works – erection of towers in Periyapalayam and reconstruction of collapsed wall around a substation in Sholinganallur. The three partners of the firm then entered into an agreement with Tantransco on March, 18, 2017 to the value of Rs 1.11 crore and Rs 1.29 crore. 

The two engineers were entrusted with the duty of preparing project estimate details for electrical and mechanical work to assist their superiors in tender process and in the execution of works given in the form of tenders to register class I contractors and they had misused their official position and thereby allowing the partners of Trinity Contracts and Services to gain pecuniary advantage, the DVAC FIR said.