On March 24, Vigilance and Anti-corruption team lodged an FIR on the name of former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh and two former project directors of Loktak Development Authority, Ch. Gojendro Singh and Th. Ibobi Singh. These three were charged under Section 420, 120-B of IPC and Section 13 (2) read with 13 (1) (d) of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988. This was done after having a complaint registered by Addition Superintendent of Police, Khuplen Lhouvum.
As per the received reports, this case is related to the multi-crore Loktak lake cleaning scam. All these were charged with criminal misconduct, cheating, criminal conspiracy and abusing official position by public servant. These alleged offences were committed when Ibobi was the chairman of LDA in the period from August 2008 and October 2009.
Ibobi government started this project of cleaning the 236.21 square km lake. This project was of Rs. 244-crore and awarded by the LDA to K Pro Infra Works Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Hyderabad-based Progressive Construction Ltd project. This was necessary as the Loktak lake was in bad condition due to pollution caused by floating of bio-mass and human habitation on huts on the phumdis. The task was to clean the water, environment and ecology around this lake. Cleaning of 132-lakh cubic metres of phumdi was also an important task in this project.
Tehelka magazine had done a story over this project and it had raised question over this project and assigned company for this project. As per the magazine report, K Pro is having only 10 lakhs as paid up capital and it exists only on paper as one residential flat is its so called head office in New Delhi. However, this company had received the multi-crore work order from a government authority.
On the other hand, BJP was also strongly demanded an inquiry into the Loktak scam. After the huge win of the party in centre, local BJP leaders were pushing this demand in a louder voice. Manipur BJP head, Prahlad Singh Patel lodged a complaint in 2015 and asked the Central Vigilence Commission as well as Niti Aayog for a sincere inquiry in this regard. As a result of that complaint, this matter was also referred to the Union Cabinet Secretariat. Local BJP leaders charged the Loktak Development Authority as well as government regarding improper implementation of this project as it had involved misuse of crores of rupees.
As a recent action in this case, Vigilance and Anti-corruption team lodged an FIR on the name of former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh and two former project directors of Loktak Development Authority. However, no one has been arrested in connection with the latest case.