Is a mega tube-well scam unfolding in Odisha?
12 Apr, 2013A person from Bhagabanpur village under Rajnagar block in Odisha had approached the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) department to get tube wells dug in the village. The officials from the department told him that already 11 tube wells had been dug in his village including one near his house.
In the backdrop of this revelation, he filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to know the exact number of tube wells dug in Rajnagar block.
The reply from the department states that 1,554 functioning tube wells existed in the block. However, the applicant with the help of other villagers found that 245 tube wells including three in his village were non-existent.
Rs. 1.5 lakh has been spent on digging each tube well. But as 245 tube wells exist only on paper and not in reality, the question arises as to where did the funds released for the purpose go. Is another scam in the process of being unfolded? Is the status any different in the other districts of the country?