The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has uncovered new leads in its ongoing probe into the multi-crore financial irregularities at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
Investigators have discovered that a private company, Maa Tara Traders, which has links to the controversial former Principal of the hospital, Dr Sandip Ghosh, may have secured similar dubious contracts at other state-run hospitals across West Bengal, as reported by IANS.
Biplab Sinha, the owner of Maa Tara Traders, is a close associate of Dr Ghosh, who was arrested by the CBI and is currently in judicial custody.
Ghosh faces charges of facilitating illegal contracts for medical equipment and infrastructure projects at RG Kar. Sources indicate that Maa Tara Traders not only provided supplies to RG Kar, but also to several other prominent state-run hospitals, including Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, Howrah District Hospital, Bangur Institute of Neurosciences, and SSKM Medical College and Hospital.
The CBI's investigation has raised serious concerns about the legitimacy of these contracts. Allegations include inflated bids and questionable awarding processes. One key example is a major contract for setting up a skill laboratory at RG Kar, which was reportedly awarded to Maa Tara Traders despite the company lacking any prior experience in such technical projects.
The CBI has informed a special court in Kolkata of its findings, highlighting the pattern of irregularities in contract awards, which suggest that the company’s involvement in these projects was facilitated through suspicious means.
