Goa PWD Under Scrutiny Over Rs 1000 Crore Tender Fraud Allegations By Contractor

Panaji: Goa’s Public Works Department (PWD) is under scrutiny after a civil engineer and PWD contractor alleged a Rs 1000-crore tender fraud involving forged documents and procedural lapses. The allegations suggested that a private construction firm secured some of the state’s most lucrative contracts by submitting misleading paperwork that should have raised immediate red flags.

According to reports, the allegations revolve around a private firm, which the complainant contractor, Manoj S Pai Dukle, claimed that it had obtained Class IAA (Super) status through manipulated records. Following which, the top-tier enlistment opened the door to high-value public tenders across Goa, according to the complaint filed by the complainants.

In his complaint letter, Manoj Dukle alleged that the department failed to verify key documents, allowing the firm to bypass eligibility rules meant to safeguard public money. After the complaint, the matter has raised questions about oversight and accountability within the state’s infrastructure agency.

Notably, the complaint outlined irregularities linked to the Mudi Tank Filling Scheme, a project carried out under Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited. The civil engineer alleged that 3 different versions of a completion certificate for the same work were submitted to Goa officials, a discrepancy that resulted from a lack of closer examination.

Furthermore, the complainant pointed out that there was a mismatch in partnership details. The original joint venture agreement, dated December 11, 2019 named a different private company as the lead partner, with the firm in question listed only as an associate. However, the documents later presented to Goa’s PWD reportedly depicted the associate firm (the accused company) as the lead partner, a change that the officials suggested would have substantially enhanced the company’s eligibility for major contracts.

Not only this, a separate complaint concerned the Akka Mahadevi Memorial project in Shivamogga district in Karnataka, valued at Rs 51.19 crore. Manoj Dukle alleged that the work was split into phased tenders and therefore should not have been presented as a single qualifying project when submitted to the Goa authorities.

The complaints invoked Clause 18.1 of the Revised Rules of Enlistment of Contractors in PWD, which stated that experience gained through a joint venture cannot be claimed individually by its partners for separate enlistment. The complainant contractor claimed that the provision was ignored by the enlistment committee.

He alleged that the officials accepted the submitted documents without checking them against the original joint venture agreement, effectively enabling the private firm to qualify for projects worth over Rs 1000 crore. He asserted that the lapse was not a simple oversight but a deliberate failure to scrutinise evidence.

A detailed public response by the PWD and information on whether a formal investigation has been initiated are awaited. 

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