Public welcomed the exposure of water scam worth crores
The recent exposure of a massive water scam involving crores of rupees has led to swift government action against the guilty officers in the Jal Shakti Department. This move has been widely appreciated by the community. Intellectuals from the Junga area, including Rakesh Thakur, Pritam Singh Thakur, Dayaram Verma, Deepak Sharma, and Narendra Thakur, have praised CPI(M) leader Rakesh Singha for uncovering the scam through an RTI request.
They expressed concerns about the increasing corruption in various departments, which is hindering the quality and timely completion of government-approved development projects. They highlighted that the Panchayats are particularly plagued by corruption. If RTI inquiries were made into the Panchayats, many more corruption scandals would likely be revealed. Development projects worth lakhs of rupees are often awarded to favored individuals without proper quotations.
To address this, they suggest that an AG audit of the Panchayats should be conducted to ensure accountability. They also pointed out that wealthy individuals are dominating the BPL (Below Poverty Line) category, while genuinely poor people are excluded. Many affluent joint families have created separate ration cards to qualify for BPL benefits, taking advantage of free LPG, cylinders, and cheap rations provided by the government. This group is also receiving the majority of MNREGA scheme benefits and disaster relief funds, often at the expense of those truly in need.
The community demands that tenders or quotations be invited for development projects exceeding one lakh rupees in the Panchayats. Additionally, they call for an immediate halt to the distribution of free rations to wealthy individuals. Further details on this story are awaited.
