Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The issue of fraudulent bills amounting to lakhs of rupees being raised for the Kolhapuri Type Weirs in Kothla, located in Parbhani tehsil, but shown in the human settlement of Kothla in the Manwat tehsil, was brought to light by Lokmat. Following this, under the orders of the government, the Regional Water Conservation Officer conducted an inquiry and submitted a report. Based on this report, District Water Conservation Officer Kaviraj Kuche is likely to face suspension, said the soil and water conservation minister, Sanjay Rathod, during a press conference on Thursday.
The minister during his visit to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Thursday, interacted with the media at the Walmi (Water and Land Management Institute) in the afternoon.
“ During the investigation, it has come to notice that a contractor was paid lakhs of rupees for the Kolhapuri Weirs in Kothla village of Parbhani tehsil, but the bills were shown for Kothla in the Manwat tehsil. It was found that the District Water Conservation Officer Kaviraj Kuche was responsible for it,” said the minister.
When asked why action was not taken against him earlier, the minister Rathod explained that the inquiry report had reached them just one day before the start of the election code of conduct, which prevented them from taking any action at the time. However, he assured that Kuche would soon be suspended, and a departmental inquiry would be conducted against him.
Rathod further mentioned that all tenders for water conservation projects must be listed on the government's Maha-e-Tender portal. However, complaints have been received that some officials are dividing and distributing work without proper processes. He also mentioned that there were complaints against Walmi officials for breaking fixed deposit amounts from the bank and making payments to contractors. An investigation into this matter is currently underway, he said.
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A warm welcome to the minister
The minister Sanjay Rathod was accorded a warm welcome in the city by the Banjara community. As he arrived, a grand welcome was organised with a large garland placed on a crane at various locations, including Vasantrao Naik Chowk, Kranti Chowk, and Walmi Gate in Cidco. The event saw the presence of several prominent figures, including Rajendra Rathod, Pramod Rathod, Rajpalsingh Rathod, Dr Krishna Rathod, Madhav Chavan, Niranjan Rathod (Bali), Nilesh Chavan, Lahu Rathod, Nitesh Rathod, Sajan Jadhav, Sumit Trivedi, Ranjit Pawar, Dr Mukesh Rathod, Dr Sudam Chavan, Keshav Rathod, Nagesh Rathod, Shubham Rathod, Avinash Rathod, Rahul Rathod, and others.