Ex-IITS director booked for swindling Rs 12 L
The accused officer G Vijayaraghavan is currently the director at the Tamil Etymological Dictionary Project in Chennai. DVAC has also booked Vijayakumar, manager of Tex Software Solutions.
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CHENNAI: Official who was working as director of the International Institute of Tamil Studies gave the contract for digitisation of Tamil manuscript to a two-day-old tech firm and allegedly swindled over Rs 12 lakh with the help of the manager of the firm, DVAC found during the probe.
The accused officer G Vijayaraghavan is currently the director at the Tamil Etymological Dictionary Project in Chennai. DVAC has also booked Vijayakumar, manager of Tex Software Solutions.
In the year 2014, the TN government sanctioned a budget of Rs 34 lakh for the establishment of a preservation centre for Tamil manuscripts at the International Institute of Tamil Studies. During the tender process, Tex Software Solution was awarded the contract for the manuscript preservation centre as they submitted the lowest bid of Rs 32,02,450. The company was registered with the government of Tamil Nadu – Department of Industries and Commerce (MSME) on December 8, 2014, just two days before participating in the government tender project. The deadline for tender application was December 10.
“However, it was later discovered that the firm did not meet the tender specification and selecting the firm was a clear violation of tender norms. Vijayakumar supplied the software required for scanning and digitally preserving the manuscripts. Additionally, he oversaw other tasks such as wood partitioning, wood panelling and supply of air conditioners and cameras for the centre.
Due to suspicions regarding the work conducted for the manuscript preservation centre, PWD officials were asked to inspect the work at the centre, and they estimated the total value of the preservation centre work at Rs 19.51 lakh. DVAC investigation later disclosed that both the accused together had misappropriated Rs 12.66 lakh in the execution of work for the manuscript preservation centre and slapped a case against the government official and private individual under various sections of IPC along with the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.