Demand for CBI probe into ongoing new water supply project

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The Bombay High Court has previously ruled that no matter how senior a political figure is, they should not interfere in the new water supply project. On Thursday, Abdul Sameer, the opposition leader of the AIMIM party in the municipal corporation, jumped into the controversy over the project. He handed the mayor a two-page letter, demanding a CBI investigation into the agencies executing the work. It is significant because even the mayor does not have the authority to interfere in this project.

The new water supply project is underway with a budget of ₹2,740 crore. The court monitors the project on a monthly basis, and during each hearing, separate orders are issued to the municipal corporation, Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP), and the contractor companies. The hearings are ongoing in the Bombay High Court, with officials attending online. Before the municipal elections, the court has made it clear that no senior political leader can intervene in the project.

In the letter submitted on Thursday, the leader of opposition alleged that companies like GVPR and Ansh are carrying out extremely shoddy work. Quality standards are not being maintained, and there are suspicions of corruption. In the areas where pipelines have been laid, no proper study of required depth has been done. The criteria for how deep the pipelines should be laid are missing. In some places, roads were dug up but not restored properly. The letter demanded that all these issues be investigated by the CBI.