CHENNAI: The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is soon expected to initiate certain policy reforms with regard to tendering at ports to tighten the process. This mainly to avoid tendering oversight and prevent similar conflicts in future infrastructure work, in the wake of the CBI case registered on former officials of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and personnel from Tata Consulting Engineers today (June 21), said a government source familiar with the development.
The CBI registered a fresh case against these officials and two international dredging companies in the Capital Dredging Project—designed to deepen navigational channels near Mumbai to accommodate larger vessels. This project was under scrutiny for alleged irregularities totaling over ₹800 crore.
In the case, the CBI claimed that officials from JNPT and TCE colluded to create a cartel, manipulating tender outcomes to favour specific foreign bidders
This apparent favoritism and suppression of competition reportedly inflated project costs, with total public losses pegged at around ₹800 crore .
The Investigators allege that cost estimates were deliberately inflated.
Reports from independent bodies—including IIT Chennai, the National Institute of Oceanography, and other advisors—who had certified the dredging work were allegedly sidelined
During the project, the dumping site for dredged material was redirected, deviating from environmental clearance conditions—an action reportedly suggested by advisors who later participated in investigating the project, raising conflict-of-interest red flags.