The Chhattisgarh chief engineer, who was accused by a regional channel of making a sex video with his wife, has alleged the operation was the handiwork of powerful contractors who were angry with him for exposing corrupt practices in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in the state.

M L Haldkar, a Chief Engineer with the state Rural Roads Development Authority (CGRRDA) and PMGSY CEO, lodged an FIR saying the video was filmed and aired because he had withheld payments amounting to nearly Rs 300 crore to contractors Sanjay Bafna, Ajay Bafna (both from Durg), Sanjay Agrawal, Ajay Agrawal (both from Raipur) and Brijmohan Agrawal (Sarguja) for “sub-standard quality of works” carried out by them under the PMGSY, initiated recovery proceedings and even registered criminal cases against a few.

Sources said powerful contractors and some people from his own department had started lobbying to shunt Haldkar out of PMGSY, accusing him of stopping the works due to non-payments.