Guwahati, October 16: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested Maisnam Riten Kumar Singh, Executive Director of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹10 lakh from a private contractor in exchange for granting a favourable extension of time and issuing a completion certificate for a four-laning project on National Highway-37.
During subsequent searches, officials reportedly recovered unaccounted cash amounting to ₹2.62 crore from Singh’s residence. Authorities have also seized 20 flats and 9 plots believed to be linked to the accused. A detailed assessment of his assets is currently underway.
The arrest sheds light on the rot within the country’s infrastructure development sector — perhaps offering a glimpse into why our highways are so “state-of-the-art” and why the goal of having India’s road network surpass that of the USA by 2026 (previously 2024) keeps moving further down the road.
