Rs 83-cr Narmada pipeline scam comes to light

The Narmada is deemed the lifeline of Gujarat as it caters to 80% of our drinking water and 45% of our irrigation needs. And even as the State reels under severe water crisis, a scam of Rs 83.68 crore in installing Narmada canal pipeline in Surendranagar has come to light. Admitting to the irregularity, the State government said that the project is under forensic audit to find out the exact amount of the scam.

The State government was responding to a question asked by Himmatsinh Patel, Congress MLA from Bapunagar, on the second day of the fourth Assembly session.

On Wednesday, the questions were focused on energy, water resources, finance, roads and building, health and Narmada canal.

The issue came to light after several Congress MLAs asked about the scam. MLA Patel asked the deputy chief minister if any discrepancy in laying Narmada canal pipeline in Surendranagar has come to the attention of the state government and what action has been taken in this regard.

Responding to the question, DyCM Nitin Patel shared that discrepancies of approximately Rs 83.63 crore have come to the government's attention and it is currently under forensic audit. "The company had not laid pipelines worth Rs 83.63 crore but submitted bills and got paid the amount. The government had already recovered Rs 80.92 crore. A process to blacklist the agency working on the project is going on. The key accused, an executive engineer, has been suspended. The anti-corruption bureau has filed a case," he said, revealing the action taken in this case.

The government has also barred 10 agencies from Sardar Sarovar Nigam's work and deregistered three pipe suppliers.

In a separate question, the DyCM was asked about breaches in the Narmada canal in Banaskantha and Patan districts and the expenditure incurred to repair breaches in last two years. As many as 67 breaches were recorded between June 1, 2018 and May 31, 2019, according to the response. "No expenditure was incurred, as according to contract, the contractor had to carry out repairs under maintenance contract or do it as part of punishment for substandard work," the DyCM said.

Gandhinagar Congress MLA C J Chavda asked about the expenditure incurred on Sauni scheme and the total expected expenditure for the scheme till May 31, 2019.

The Narmada canal supplies water to parched Saurashtra through SAUNI Yojana.

In the response to the question, the government replied that Rs 12,978 crore had been spent on the scheme, and it is estimated to reach up to Rs 18,563.24 crore. Of 1,371-km pipelines, as much as 867.91 km has been laid. Commenting on the scheme, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said, "It is expected that the scheme will be completed in a year. It is very important for Saurastra to get this water which our government has made possible with this scheme."