Special teams of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday conducted simultaneous searches on the premises of Congress MP Karti P. Chidambaram and his associates at multiple locations in the country in connection with a visa scam when his father P. Chidambaram was the Union Home Minister, a decade ago.
Congress leader and Member of Parliament for Sivaganga in the Lok Sabha, Karti Chidambaram. File
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
The CBI registered a case against Mr. Karti, his close associate S. Bhaskar Raman, private companies based in Mumbai, Mansa (Punjab), and unknown public servants and private persons. Searches were conducted at 10 places, including in Chennai, Mumbai, Koppal (Karnataka), Jharsuguda (Odisha), Mansa and Delhi.
The CBI said that in 2011, M/s Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL) was in the process of establishing a 1980 MW thermal power plant at Mansa. The work was outsourced to a Chinese firm M/s Shandong Electric Power Construction Corporation (SEPCO).
Since the project was running behind schedule causing huge financial repercussions in terms of penalty, interest on bank loans etc, the company tried to bring in more Chinese persons/professionals to the work site for which it needed project visas over and above the ceiling imposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
For this purpose, the company’s representative Vikas Makharia, allegedly approached Mr. Karti’s close associate Mr. Raman and then submitted a request letter dated July 30,…
