MADURAI: A Public Works Department Executive Engineer was caught red-handed by the sleuths of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption when he allegedly received Rs 20,000 as a bribe from a contractor on Wednesday. Ahead of the monsoon season, a project to repair a channel of a water tank at Koolapandi near Melur was allocated to contractor A Pandian (45) in early August. Though the completion period was four months, Pandian finished the work in one month and submitted the bills. However, for more than a month, Pandian was made to run from pillar to post as the estimated fund of `4 lakh was not released. Meanwhile, he noticed that Executive Engineer Abdul Rashid (54) was releasing funds for other contractors. So he approached Assistant Engineer Anbu Selvan along with contractors’ union leader Gunasekaran to talk the things out.Selvan told him that generally the PWD executive engineers ask for 8 per cent commission, but Pandian may just need to pay 5 per cent to release his payment.Pandian agreed to the deal even as he informed the Vigilance Department about the rendezvous. Later on Tuesday evening, Rashid called up Pandian and directed him to meet him with Rs 20,000 at the Government Travellers Bungalow, where the vigilance officials laid a trap. As directed, Pandian met Rashid and the vigilance police caught him red-handed. The vigilance team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Kalavathy interrogated Rashid at the PWD office premises and later arrested him.
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