Siddharthnagar: Fake payment of Rs 5 crore by using AI photo in Irrigation Department

There have been reports of alleged financial irregularities in the Irrigation and Water Resources Department in the district. In the financial year 2025-26, the work of silt cleaning and slope grass cutting in the canal system of Banganga Barrage and all the canals emanating from it was entrusted to Drainage Division Siddharthnagar.

Just cheated in the name of work. Where the canal crosses the road, only 100 meters here and there were cleaned. The remaining long canals were left as they were, filled with silt. Local resident Jayatri Pandey has made this allegation.

Executive Engineer, Assistant Executive Engineer and Junior Engineers of Drainage Section Siddharthnagar have indulged in huge corruption and misappropriation of about Rs 5 crore government money in the name of silt cleaning and other works. Contrary to the intention of the government, money was misused on a large scale. The complainant has demanded that this entire matter be investigated and appropriate departmental action be taken against the guilty officers.

Jayatri Pandey lodged a complaint at the Public Hearing (IGRS) on 12 April 2026, in which serious allegations have been made against Assistant Engineer IV Malvika Jaisal and Executive Engineer. It is alleged that government funds were embezzled without doing any actual work in flagrant violation of the tender conditions. The main allegations are illegal payment from treasury, changing the workplace, not using hot mix plant and paver machine, and misleading the department by generating fake photos through AI.

AI has worked on paper, but the situation is bad on the ground

Jayatri Pandey has made allegations of rigging in the Irrigation Department on many technical points. He has said that the work of pothole removal and renovation of roads on the stretches of Banganga Canal System and Zamindari Canal System was shown on paper but nothing happened on the ground. Pictures created with the help of AI were presented as real. The Superintending Engineer of Basti, Gandak Flood Division issued the tender (No. 03/2025-26) issued on 11 September 2025. Under this, repair work of canals and roads in Siddharthnagar district was to be done at a cost of Rs 2.40 crore. The work involved de-potting of many canals including Atri Minor, Naugarh Minor, Banganga Barrage, Alidapur Western Canal, Bajaha Sagar, Batua Sagar and the service road of Naugarh Colony.

The total length of the construction site was 13.9 kilometers. The time limit for completing the work was kept only for one month. There was a clear condition in the tender that the work should be done using hot mix plant and paver machine only. The contractor also had to give an affidavit whether the plant was his own or on lease. With the connivance of Assistant Engineer Malvika Jaisal and Executive Engineer, the payment was completed from the treasury without any work being done on the ground. Vouchers confirm that money was withdrawn for work that did not take place on the ground. This is open embezzlement of government funds.

Jayatri Pandey has alleged huge irregularities in this entire matter. With the connivance of Assistant Engineer Malvika Jaisal and Executive Engineer, the entire money was withdrawn from the treasury without any concrete work. The vouchers show that the money was released but no work was done on the land. This is open embezzlement. In the Executive Engineer’s letter number 1829, work was not done at the places fixed in the tender, Atari Minor, Naugarh Minor, Siswa Neura etc. Other places were mentioned in a letter from the Executive Engineer, taking advantage of which nothing was done at the actual work site.

Use of fake photos and AI: Despite not having any work, Malvika Jaisal is accused of creating fake photos using AI tools and mobile editing and misleading the department. An attempt was made to legitimize the payment on the basis of these fake photographs. The complainant says that it is uncertain whether the work was done at all or the government money was distributed only by cultivating houses on paper. Jayantri Pandey has said that the technical conditions have been violated. Tender condition 31 has been blatantly violated. Work was shown without hot mix plant and paver machine. The condition was clear that the work had to be done with these machines only. Road construction without a plant is technically non-standard. Jayanti Pandey alleged, ‘The contract should have been canceled under condition 28, but the officials got the work done by changing the estimate and NIT without informing the higher officials. Leaving the workplace was said to be the basis for contract cancellation and departmental action under condition 28.

It is a technical offense to spend the budget anywhere else as per one’s wish instead of the canal strips proposed in the notification. The money was distributed without physical measurement. Among the places mentioned in the tender, no construction work was done on Batua Sagar, Basantpur Canal, Naugarh Colony track, Alidapur Western Canal, Sirvat Kothi, Siswa Neura Canal, Atari Minor. Jayatri Pandey has also shared pictures. Raw roads are visible in Batua Sagar, no repairs are visible. The old road on Basantapur canal is full of grass. Old broken road is visible on Alidapur Western Canal. There are also unpaved or broken roads on Siswa Neura and Atri Minor. The dates in the photo are April 2026, which shows the condition after the work is completed. Details like GPS location, elevation, time etc. are present in these photos.

Grass has grown where cleanliness was claimed

Jayatri Pandey has sent complaints not only on IGRS but also to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh and other officials by registered post. Recovery of illegal payment by checking the treasury vouchers. Forensic investigation of the photo sent by Malvika Jaisal. Immediate strict departmental and administrative action will be taken against the guilty officials.

What deficiencies have been mentioned in the disciplinary action departmental documents?

The contractor has to first obtain information about the work site. The pre-bid meeting was to be held on 18 September 2025 in Basti. Objections have to be lodged through email within 24 hours of opening the technical bid. Financial bids are opened only after budget allocation. This is not just a road construction issue. The roads built on canal strips are for the convenience of farmers and common people in the irrigation area. If the work of 13.9 km road worth Rs 4.81 crore remains on paper, then the money for development schemes is being wasted. The use of AI in creating fake evidence is creating new problems in government departments. Forensic investigation is necessary to prove the difference between real and fake photos. The complainant says that with the connivance of the department, treasury payments, workplaces were changed and conditions were ignored. All these points are such that there should be a departmental inquiry.

Complaint about this matter has been sent by sending letters to Superintending Engineer Gandak Flood Division Basti, Chief Engineer Gorakhpur, Commissioner Basti, District Magistrate, SSP etc.