Alleging irregularities in implementing Ganga Kalyana yojane, Congress leader and former Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday alleged that some contractors had produced false documents pertaining to income tax and works executed in sinking 14,577 borewells worth ₹441 crore in the Social Welfare Department. A High Court judge should investigate the matter, he added.
“In the past, I had alleged that irregularities had taken place in connivance with the tender scrutiny committee by taking permission from the Minister,” he told presspersons here. He said that while in the schemes for the backward classes, a borewell has been sunk at a cost of ₹84,000, in schemes in the Social Welfare Department, a borewell has been sunk at the cost of ₹1.93 lakh. “Why is there a difference in the cost of sinking borewells?”
He said that on March 31, the Under Secretary of the Social Welfare Department had ordered an inquiry and had sought a report within 15 days from the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department. “However, on April 13, the Principal Secretary allowed the work to be continued but had said the bill will not be cleared if irregularities are found. Is this common sense? It is illegal to give the work order to those ineligible. If the bill is not cleared, contractors will approach court for relief.”
Mr. Kharge said that a fair investigation cannot be expected from the government, and the investigation should be handed over to a sitting high court judge. “So far no officer has been questioned. Why is that the documents that we have is not with the government? When investigation has been ordered why is the work being allowed to continue?”
