Digital Desk, Bhopal. The Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) has registered an FIR against three engineers and a contractor of the Public Health Engineering Department in connection with the corruption case of Rs 3 crore 85 lakh 900 in the tap water scheme in Mauganj district. During investigation, it was found that without completing the work, the contractor collected full payment of sixty rupees from the officials. Gross negligence and irregularities were found in the work done by the contractor. A newly constructed water tank collapsed in Khatkhari under Naigarhi tehsil. Water was to be supplied to every house in many villages of Naigarhi tehsil, but the contractor laid the pipeline outside the village itself. Neither tap fitting was done inside the houses nor concrete circular stand post was made. Water tank, submersible motor pump, pipeline fitting, pump house, boundary wall and other works were to be done in 9 months, but even after five years the work is incomplete.
The contractor did bad work in collusion
Under the Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme (JJM) in the year 2021, water tanks were to be built for water supply in many villages in Naigarhi development block of Mauganj district. Pipeline also had to be laid. Earthwork, road cutting, HDPE pipe fitting, construction of pump house, construction of valve chamber, construction of automatic water label indicator, installation of submersible motor pump, electrical fitting work, preparation of concrete circular stand post through GI pipe for house hold connection, tap fitting work, fitting work of rising main, installation of starter control panel, boundary wall at the tank site etc. were to be done. PHE Mauganj officials and contractor M/s Shivendra Tiwari in collusion did low quality construction work, about which a complaint was lodged. EOW investigation found that the department gave the work order to contractor M/s Shivendra Tiwari. PHE division Mauganj paid Rs 3 crore 85 lakh 900 to the contractor for the construction. But the contractor did quality construction work. Due to which the newly constructed water tank in Khatkhari broke and fell down due to waterlogging. The estimate included laying of 4400 meter pipeline and providing 315 domestic tap connections. But the pipeline was taken only outside the village.
Neither tap fitting nor circular stand post was made inside the houses. Water supply related work was done without quality in Gram Panchayat Judmaniya Raghunath, Khatkhari, Karh alias Khairagarh and Shivrajpur. Due to which till date water has not reached the villages under the scheme. In Karah village, 1 submersible motor was found in place of 5 motor pumps, contrary to the claims of 740 connections, not a single tap fitting was found inside the house. The construction of over head tank and sump well in Shivrajpur was found incomplete. The main pipeline was laid in Judmaniya Raghunath village but no connection was made inside the houses. The main pipeline was also laid in only half the village.
Made them accused
In the corruption case, EOW has registered an FIR under various sections against the then EE PHE Mauganj JP (Janardan Prasad) Dwivedi, the then assistant engineer Sanjay Pandey, the then deputy engineer AP Tiwari, director M/s Shivendra Kumar Tiwari.