Tapi: Four engineers suspended for getting Rs 40L approved twice for same project

Four additional assistant engineers were suspended for their alleged involvement in getting  Rs 40 lakh approved twice for the installation of the same rainwater harvesting systems at eight schools in Tapi. The work was already done once and the bills were produced twice by the accused under the tribal sub-plan. One of the suspended engineers was set to retire.

Speaking with The Indian Express, Tapi District Development Officer V N Shah said, “On the basis of a report, we have suspended all four engineers. The contractor today deposited Rs 40 lakh with the government treasury for the tribal sub-plan. We have started an inquiry into the entire episode and once it is finished, we will take strict legal action against the contractor and all four engineers. The accused, in conspiracy with the contractor, had submitted the bills of the work done with the taluka panchayat offices twice, and got the amount cleared under the tribal sub-plan.” The four suspended additional assistant engineers in Tapi are Girish Chaudhary (working in Kumarmunda taluka), Dhwani Patel (working in Songadh), Ajay Chaudhary (working in Dolvan), and Anil Gamit (working in Songadh). On Tuesday evening, Shah suspended all four of them. Sources said that Girish Chaudhary is on the verge of retirement and his last working day was June 30. Officials in the District Development Office of Tapi said that the installation of rainwater harvesting systems was done in eight ashram schools in Tapi in Dolvan, Songadh and Kukarmunda in 2019-20 and the amount was released under the tribal sub-plan. The contractor, Rajan Hingle, completed the work and the bills were passed and got a total of 40 lakh, at Rs. 5 lakh for each structure.

Again, in 2021-22, the bills were submitted in the taluka panchayats, highlighting these as fresh projects. The amount was released yet again.

A complaint came to the notice of Tapi DDO V N Shah, and he had ordered tribal sub-plan project officer Ramnivas Fugaliya to carry out a probe. Fugaliya recently submitted his report to the DDO. In his report, Fugaliya found the involvement of four additional assistant engineers of Songadh, Kumarkumda and Dolvan along with the contractor.