Forest Minister Jogu Ramanna has assigned project officer R.V Karnan the task of conducting an inquiry into misappropriation of funds and bogus works ostensibly initiated under various drinking water schemes.
These schemes include digging borewells and transportation of potable water, all intended to alleviate the suffering of people who are still walking long distances to collect water for the daily needs. The project officer must submit inquiry report in one month.
This move comes in the wake of allegations about widespread misuse of funds, meant for the digging of borewells, rural drinking water projects and transportation of potable water under various schemes from 2009 to 2014, that is before the state’s bifurcation.
A sum of Rs 10.40 crore in the special fund was released to alleviate the drinking water problem in the district.
In most cases, contractors, officials, and political leaders were hands in glove on the various drinking water schemes taken up in the past in the district.
These schemes were taken up with the help of the MPLAD funds, Nabard, World Bank, on- CRF grants (Central Road Fund grants), ITDA, RWS and Assembly Constituency Development Programme Schemes.
Khanapur MLA Azmeera Rekha Naik has alleged that bills were claimed without borewells being dug and nor overhead tanks being constructed by contractors at various villages in her Assembly constituency.
In most cases, contractors, officials, and political leaders colluded in various drinking water schemes that have taken up in the last five years in the district. These schemes were taken up with
People further alleged that depth of borewell inflated beyond the actual depth to which digging took place and contractor claimed money for the inflated depth.
Collector M. Jagan Mohan said that they would make digging borewells a priority, second only to digging open wells and later transporting the water to the villages that were facing acute drinking water shortage.
There are pending bills to the tune of Rs 11 crore regarding potable water transportation and borewells dug in the past. Rs 28 crore was released recently to the gram panchayats under 14th Finance Commission.
Now, MPTC, ZPTC, and Sarpanches are eyeing the special funds and Finance Commissions too under the guise of addressing the drinking water problem in the district.
Nearly Rs 70-80 lakhs out of special funds to be allotted to each Assembly constituency for this purpose this summer.
Mancherial MLA Diwakar Rao said that Sarpanches were not ready to release the funds they got from 14th Finance Commission for drinking water problem, and it was better to use special funds to reach drinking water to the people.
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