CM orders vigilance probe into Kaushalya Dam work

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 24

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has directed the State Vigilance Bureau to probe the alleged irregularities in construction work of the Kaushalya Dam on the river of the same name in the vicinity of the Panchkula-Shimla road, near Pinjore.

The inquiry has been marked on a recent complaint of the Shivalik Vikas Manch, a Panchkula-based NGO, to the Chief Minister. The NGO has alleged certain irregularities in the construction work, including the increase in the width of the wall of the dam to facilitate big builders, who have come up with housing projects in the Pinjore-Kalka Urban Complex.

Welcoming Khattar’s order, Panchkula MLA Gian Chand Gupta, who had been raising the matter, hoped that the inquiry would expose the wrongdoings. “Nearly Rs 217 crore has been spent on the project, which was supposed to be completed in Rs 51 crore, raising suspicions on the intentions of the previous government,” Gupta alleged.

NGO president Vijay Bansal, who obtained information under the Right to Information (RTI) on the issue, alleged that the Irrigation Department had sanctioned Kaushalya Dam in 2005, but work on it started in 2008.

The information also revealed that the width of the wall of the dam was extended from 12 metre to 30 metre by the department, which increased the construction value from Rs 118 crore to Rs 180 crore.

The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) spent Rs 23 crore to lay a pipeline from the dam to Panchkula city to provide drinking water. However, the project failed to serve the purpose as the water in the dam is inadequate. Besides, contaminated water was allegedly supplied to nearby residents.