Welcoming the Keralam government decision to conduct a preliminary vigilance probe into a 2006 road project under the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP), linked to Chief Election Commissioner of India (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, State Public Works Minister P.K. Basheer on Tuesday said the controversy should not be viewed merely as a matter of the past, but as a warning for the State as it undertakes major infrastructure projects worth crores of rupees.
“Infrastructure projects, including new highways, bypasses, flyovers, bridges and road-modernisation schemes, are being implemented on a massive scale. The KSTP episode should serve as a lesson in ensuring greater transparency and accountability,” Mr. Basheer said.
In 2006, the KSTP undertook a World Bank-funded ₹215-crore project to reconstruct the MC Road between Angamaly and Thiruvananthapuram. The work was then awarded to PATI-BEL, a joint venture between a Malaysian company and Bhageeratha Engineering. However, the Malaysian company’s project engineer, Lee See Been, allegedly raised several complaints during the construction period. He later returned to Malaysia and died by suicide.
Earlier probe
A vigilance probe was initiated into the matter at the time, but the investigation did not reach a conclusive outcome, leaving several questions unanswered. The controversy has gained renewed significance as Mr. Kumar was serving as Keralam’s PWD Secretary when the incident occurred. According to Mr. Basheer, there were reports of suicide notes allegedly left by Been containing allegations against certain officials.
“The veracity of these allegations, the circumstances surrounding the death and their possible links to other evidence require legal scrutiny. All facts relating to the controversy must be brought to light without political or personal prejudice,” he said.
Mr. Basheer said the earlier vigilance inquiry also needed to be examined to determine how far it progressed, why it remained inconclusive, what findings it produced and, if it was halted at any stage, the reasons for doing so.
“Old files are not meant to gather dust in cupboards; they are sources from which we must derive administrative lessons for the future. At what stage did issues arise in the project? Who took the decisions and on what basis? What was the cost overrun? What caused the delay? What financial loss was suffered by the government and the public? We must find answers to these questions from the records,” he said.
Infrastructure development
Keralam is now witnessing a phase of massive infrastructure development, the Minister said. “As projects grow in scale, accountability must grow with them. Transparency must increase alongside the volume of public funds being utilised, and monitoring mechanisms must be strengthened as the pace of development accelerates,” he said. The KSTP episode, therefore, should not be treated as a closed chapter but as an opportunity to make the public works system more transparent, efficient and accountable, Mr. Basheer added.
The fresh probe was ordered by the Keralam government following a complaint seeking an investigation into Mr. Kumar’s alleged role in the case.
Published – October 06, 2026 08:55 pm IST
