PANAJI
The Water Resources Department (WRD) seems to have been embroiled in a major scam involving the maintenance of around 350 bandharas across the State.
Sources revealed that projects are being designed to bypass ministerial oversight by allegedly manipulating financial estimates, capping them at just under Rs 5 lakh each to allow internal approvals without government scrutiny.
“A network of benami contractors, many of whom are former WRD staffers, are exploiting the approval process. They are pushing projects without checks and we expect financial discrepancies of not less than Rs 3.5 crore approx,” a senior official wishing anonymity told The Goan.
It is also reliably learnt that the minister’s office and senior bureaucrats at Secretariat will be informed about the alleged scam with an urgent request for a vigilance probe.
Sources further alleged that over 100 work orders were awarded to a handful of contractors since 2021 through questionable practices.
“The funds are being funneled into personal accounts... minimal or no work is carried out on the ground. The government can investigate the suspected persons' bank details, transactions and even inflated estimates, manipulated tendering processes and false work logs,” the source revealed.
One case involves the two types of gates used in the bandharas “ the lightweight Fibre Reinforced Plastic gates and KT Weir gates, which are heavier. However, both are billed at the same rate while transportation charges are allegedly falsely claimed, despite gates being stored near the project sites.
Besides these gate installations, discrepancies were also found in river de-silting projects as well as alleged illegal sale of river pebbles by certain contractors.
“The engineer in charge must record and verify the actual quantity of silt removed. Survey registers, showing pre-and post-work bed levels, should be reviewed. The silt, stacked away from the river to prevent erosion, can be measured to confirm the quantity. If the stack has been disposed, the government royalty payment receipt should be checked. The number of days the excavator was hired can be confirmed through receipts and the contractor’s bank statement,” the official explained, adding this alleged illegal activity too has led to massive financial loss.
The Goan tried contacting WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar and Chief Engineer Pramod Badami, none of whom was available for comments.
