Summary:
Ahmedabad: Mopeds, autorickshaws and jeeps from Rajasthan were shown on record as bulldozers performing earthmoving works, digging farm ponds in Gujarat’s water scarcity-hit villages!This might sound bizarre, but then the farm ponds and even water tanks constructed by these vehicles too were illusory, and existed only on paper. In these places the ACB lodged criminal complaints against 21 individuals.“Since earthmovers hired from nearby areas could be tracked, contractors mentioned random vehicle registration numbers from Rajasthan. ACB officials claim that till now cases worth Rs 6 crore have been lodged and more will be added soon. This was at the centre of the scam,” says ACB special director Keshav Kumar.“The extent of the scam will come to light as and when we proceed with investigations,” says Kumar. This is the cruel joke played on thousands of Gujarat farmers and taxpayers in the name of the ‘Jal Sanchay Yojana’ and private pond construction and erecting water tanks in villages by the Gujarat Land Development Corporation (GLDC).The anti-corruption bureau last week found Rajasthan’s privately-owned commuter vehicles hired for farm pond construction in Jamkandorna, Dhoraji, Nana Mandva, Kotda-Sanghani and Gondal in Rajkot district ..