Taking a serious note of the alleged embezzlement in the deployment of water tankers in the Matiana and Kasumpti divisions of the Jal Shakti Vibhag (JSV), the state government has suspended five officials of the department posted in these two divisions and ordered suspension of another five officials on the basis of a preliminary inquiry.
“We will not tolerate any lapse or corruption. Strict action will be taken against people found guilty of any wrongdoing,” said Jal Shakti Vibhag Minister Mukesh Agnihotri. Besides, the minister gave directions to blacklist contractors, who were involved in the alleged water supply scam, in the Theog area of Shimla district.
“We have written to the ADGP and the State Vigilance and Corruption Bureau to conduct a detailed inquiry into the matter and take appropriate action,” said Agnihotri.
Rakesh Singha, a former MLA from Theog constituency, had flagged an alleged scam in water distribution in his constituency a few days ago.
On the basis of information gathered through the RTI, Singha had alleged that the registration number of vehicles used for water supply turned out to be those of scooters, motorcycles and cars, including a vehicle belonging to a senior government official, instead of water tankers.
The former MLA had further alleged that tankers were shown to have distributed water in villages which had no approach road. “Every year, around Rs 10 to Rs 12 lakh are spent on water supply in Theog and surrounding places via tankers.
The amount reached Rs 1.13 crore in 2024,” said Singha, while alleging massive irregularities in water supply.
Following revelations by Singha, All India Congress Committee spokesperson and Theog MLA Kuldeep Singh Rathore also asked the state government to conduct an inquiry into the matter and take strict action against those found guilty.
While stating that corruption would not be tolerated at any level, Rathore said prima facie there seemed some irregularities, but full facts would emerge once the investigation was complete.
