B’luru ComPol to probe ‘undue illegal interference’ in Nirbhaya scheme tender

PTI, Dec 26, 2020, 8:07 AM IST

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has directed the Bengaluru police commissioner to probe the alleged undue illegal interference in the tender process for the Rs 619 crore Bengaluru Safe City Project under the Nirbhaya scheme, by impersonating as the state Home Secretary, to get classified information.

The government passed an order appointing the police commissioner as the Investigation Officer on December 24, which was released to the media on Friday.

Bengaluru additional commissioner of police (administration), Hemant Nimbalkar wrote to Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar, requesting him to initiate an inquiry into the matter.

”I have requested (the Chief Secretary) to initiate an inquiry as to who has done that (impersonation). In my letter I have not pointed out to anybody,” Nimbalkar said.

In his December 7 letter, Nimbalkar said the Request For Proposal (RFP) for selection of service provider for design, implementation and maintenance of Bengaluru Safe City project was under process.

Nimbalkar said that on December 2, he had a meeting with Akshay Singhal, the management consultant for the project.

Singhal sought to know about the email communication he had with Bengaluru police commissioner Kamal Pant on November 9 and asked the developments related to it.

”The email communication attached herewith is self-explanatory and amounts to clear impersonation as Home Secretary to the Government of Karnataka for getting access to classified information with respect to the RFP in preparation for Safe City project worth Rs 619 crore approx before the publication of tender for wrongful gains without any lawful authority and locus standi,” Nimbalkar said in his letter.

He submitted that it also amounted to illegal interference in the tender process initiated by the Karnataka Government by an unauthorised person.

The police officer said the RFP mentioned in the mail attached was under preparation and was not published as on November 7, 2020, on the date of the conversation.

He requested the Chief Secretary to initiate an inquiry into it and take necessary action, as per law.

The Home Ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, is implementing the project under the Nirbhaya scheme to prevent and curb crimes against women and girls in public places. The scheme aims at providing safer urban infrastructure and efficient access to law enforcement agencies.