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The CBI has registered two cases against a retired Southern Railway engineer and others over alleged construction irregularities.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged financial losses of approximately Rs 4 crore in bridge and retaining wall construction on the Milavittan-Melamarudur section of a new broad-gauge railway line in Tamil Nadu. The cases concern suspected violations of construction approvals and railway procedures.
Who Has Been Named in the CBI Cases?
The agency has named Muhammed Salaiya, then deputy chief engineer in Southern Railway’s Madurai construction division, in both FIRs. William Jai, then an executive engineer in the division, and other individuals have been named in one of the cases.
The allegations concern the 17.75-km Milavittan-Melamarudur section in Tuticorin district, part of the proposed Madurai-Tuticorin railway route. The Railway Board sanctioned the project in March 2014 at an estimated cost of Rs 120.70 crore, according to the FIRs.
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What Irregularities Were Found in Bridge Construction?
In the first case, the CBI alleged that two minor bridges were constructed despite approval being granted for only one. The contract was awarded on October 3, 2016, to a firm owned by Y Chinna Reddy without obtaining prior approval from the competent authority.
The bridges were completed on July 10, 2017, at a cost of Rs 3.59 crore. Investigators alleged that the structures were located within 30 metres of each other on the same waterway and could have been combined into a single bridge.
The agency further alleged that both bridges were constructed approximately four metres above the approved level without technical justification. This reportedly increased earthwork and land acquisition expenses, resulting in an estimated loss of Rs 2.57 crore.
Why Was Approval Sought After Construction?
According to the first FIR, a proposal seeking approval for the bridges was initiated on May 24, 2019, nearly two years after their completion.
The CBI alleged that the delayed proposal was intended to justify construction undertaken without the required authorisation. The agency has also named the contracting firm, through its managing director Y Chinna Reddy, as an accused alongside Salaiya.
The allegations centre on whether railway officials followed the prescribed approval process before awarding contracts and undertaking construction. The agency has treated the additional expenditure and subsequent approval proposal as part of its investigation into the alleged financial irregularities.
What Did the CBI Find in the Retaining Wall Project?
The second FIR alleges that Salaiya and Jai conspired with a Madurai resident during 2016-17 to construct a concrete retaining wall without following prescribed railway norms and procedures.
According to the CBI, the retaining wall should have been constructed after the bridges. Instead, it was allegedly built first, leaving insufficient space for earthwork along the bridge approaches.
Investigators alleged that the construction sequence ultimately resulted in the retaining wall being buried, causing an estimated loss of Rs 1.44 crore. The agency described the proposal as flawed and unjustified.
Together, the two cases involve alleged losses of Rs 4.01 crore arising from bridge construction and retaining wall work. The FIRs focus on suspected procedural violations, construction decisions and expenditure incurred during the railway project.
