MP EOW registers case against 16 officials

Bhopal, Oct 8 (UNI) The Madhya Pradesh Economic Offences Wing (EOW) today registered a case against 16 officials, including two executive officers, in connection with alleged financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 54 lakh in rehabilitation work of the Sardar Sarovar project.

Official sources said displaced at Ghanora village in Barwani district were supposed to get a plot and Rs 20,000. However, engineers and officials at rehabilitation office prepared fake contracts and bungled Rs 5.80 lakh meant for 29 displaced.

Likewise, fake payment of Rs 5.79 lakh was made by making false measurements of houses of Chichli and Mandwada villages.

A total loss of Rs 54.14 lakh was caused to the state exchequer in similar cases in several villages.

A case of fraud has been registered against executive engineers S K Baghela, Ajay D Rishi and P K Yadav, land acquisition officer V K Chaturvedi, Sub-Divisional Officers (SDOs) Mukesh Santoshi, Ashok Gupta and J N Taur, sub-engineers O P Soni, J K Jain, B R Lokhande, rehabilitation officer Rajmani Shukla, Devandra Done, Mishrilal, Gopal Sirvi, and Gyaniji.

According to report from Barwani, reacting to the news, Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar said her charges of corruption in rehabilitation had been proved true. Officials had submitted affidavits of rehabilitating people but it had been proved false.

Talking over telephone from Mumbai, Ms Patkar said money should be collected from guilty officials. Legal action should be taken against 39 officials, who had been suspended earlier.

UNI SHD-PS 1858