Panchayats and Rural Development Minister Gopal Bhargava has directed for strict action against 16 engineers and one accounts officer of Project Implementation Unit-1 of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana in Shahdol district.
They have been found guilty of poor quality construction of various roads under the scheme and financial irregularities. Bhargava said that corruption, negligence and financial irregularities in rural development progammes will not be tolerated.
Bhargava has also directed to impose major punishment on all the 16 engineers and one accounts officer found guilty of irregularities. Departmental enquiry against them has been started.
Chief General Manager, Rewa has sent report to Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak and Housing Authority about damage of roads constructed under packages number 3,841, 3,846, 3,850 and 3,871, failure of crust etc. These roads include Tangha to Kadhma Tola road, Jheenk Road to Godinbuda road, Keshwahi Jheenk Bijri road to Khatoda road, Khamhidol to (A.G.V Road) Bokarmar road, Bokarmar to Padmaniya road, Jheenk Bijuri to Mamra road, Bijuri road to Khujmaniya road, Mamla to Kolmi road, Mamra to Rikoba road, Jheenk Bijuri road to Mamra road, Bijuri road to Khutela road and Galhatha to Mitholi road.
In view of gravity of irregularities in construction of roads, two technical teams were constituted who examined the construction intensively. In the enquiry, seven engineers were found guilt prima facie. Most of them are on deputation.
The accused officers include two of Madhya Pradesh Electricity Company including the then general manager DK Parashar and assistant manager DS Parihar, three officers of Water Resources Department including the then general managers SB Singh and CN Gupta and sub-engineer RS Bhatt, Public Works Department’s sub-engineer RN Gupta and Rural Engineering Service’s assistant manager Kesari Singh.
Similarly, nine engineers were found prima facie guilty of irregularities in payments for road construction under packages number MP 3,807, 3,808 and 4,403 of Project Implementation Unit-1 in Shahdol district. The roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana include Galetha to Balbadhrapur road, Kesori to Semariya road, RSA road to Umniya road, ND road to Karondatora road, Kalyanpur road to Sendri Chuniya road, SST to Pathera road, Hirwar to Pathrehi road, Diyapipar to Karri road, Chauhri to Uchera road, Tetka to Bansa road, Sohagpur road to Bhamraha road, Gulguli to Jarha road and NH 18 to Salaiya road.
Of the nine engineers found prima facie guilty of irregularities in payment for road construction, three are on deputation from Water Resources Department including the then general manager CS Ghatole, the then sub-engineer MK Shukla and RS Bhatt, three engineers on deputation from Rural Engineering Service including the then assistant managers TP Gurdwan and SR Pandey and the then sub-engineer RK Namdev. Similarly, the then assistant manager MK Wani on deputation from Public Works Department, the then sub-engineer MK Dube and Rajneesh Tamrakar and the then accounts officer SlR Dube (assistant director) on deputation from Finance Department have also been found prima facie guilty of irregularities.