GOA: Growing unease is rippling through Goa’s public-works ecosystem after a civil engineer alleged that a construction company used manipulated documents to win major government contracts—claims that have triggered slow-moving inquiries, raised questions about oversight, and tested confidence in the state’s tendering processes.
A Whistleblower’s Alarming Claims
The Public Works Department (PWD) of Goa is under intensifying scrutiny following detailed complaints by civil engineer Manoj S. Pai Dukle, who alleges that M/s Bagkiya Constructions Pvt. Ltd. secured more than ₹1,000 crore in government contracts using forged or manipulated work completion certificates.
Dukle, a civil engineer from Navelim, contends that the company was able to enlist as a Class IAA (Super) contractor, a coveted category that qualifies firms for large-scale government projects. According to him, this status was awarded despite the submission of documents containing “serious discrepancies,” which he says were missed—or ignored—by officials responsible for verification.
In a complaint dated 15 August 2025, Dukle asserts that Bagkiya Constructions submitted three different versions of a completion certificate for the Mudi Tank Filling Scheme, originally issued by Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited (KNNL). He points to the Joint Venture agreement of December 11, 2019, which names M/s Amrutha Constructions Pvt. Ltd. as the lead partner, with Bagkiya acting only as an associate. Yet, he alleges, certificates submitted during multiple Goa tenders listed Bagkiya as the lead partner—a variance he claims should have been caught by PWD officials.
Questions Over Joint Venture Rules and a Second Disputed Project
The controversy widened after Dukle filed another complaint on 13 November 2025, flagging what he describes as further irregularities. This time, he questioned a certificate submitted for the Akka Mahadevi Memorial project in Shivamogga district, valued at ₹51.19 crore. He alleges that the project was executed through phased tenders, not as a single eligible work, as represented in the documents.
A key element of his November complaint centers on Clause 18.1 of the Revised Rules of Enlistment of Contractors in PWD/WRD Goa (2020), which states that work experience gained under a Joint Venture cannot be used by individual partners for separate enlistment. Dukle claims this rule was disregarded, raising concerns about whether bias or vested interests influenced the committee’s decision-making process.
A Slow-Moving Inquiry and Rising Public Pressure
Dukle says he has submitted a complaint to the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Vigilance Department, but insists the inquiry is progressing “extremely slowly.” Although several PWD offices acknowledged his complaints between 13 and 15 November, he reports no visible action and warns he may petition the Bombay High Court (Goa Bench) if the matter continues to stagnate.
A senior ACB official confirmed that the issue remains in the preliminary inquiry stage and that no offence has been registered so far. In response to the allegations, K. Bagkiya Durai, Managing Director of Bagkiya Constructions, denied submitting forged or manipulated documents and said the company was prepared to cooperate fully with investigators. PWD officials declined to comment.
Broader Concerns Over Transparency in Public Procurement
Inside Goa’s engineering and contracting circles, the complaints have ignited wider debates about transparency, verification practices, and procedural integrity. Several industry members say the matter warrants a thorough and impartial investigation, especially given the scale of contracts involved and the potential precedent the case may set for enforcement.
The unfolding dispute is increasingly being viewed as a test of public trust in the state’s tendering mechanisms. If the allegations are substantiated, industry observers fear the case could expose deeper systemic issues—ranging from verification lapses to possible administrative vulnerabilities—in the state’s procurement apparatus.
