This story is from January 6, 2015

Kaushalya dam cost spike under VB lens

The Haryana vigilance bureau (VB) was set to probe the alleged wrongdoings that led to the escalation of the cost of construction of Kaushalya dam from Rs 51 crore to Rs 217 crore in seven years.
Kaushalya dam cost spike under VB lens
PANCHKULA: The Haryana vigilance bureau (VB) was set to probe the alleged wrongdoings that led to the escalation of the cost of construction of Kaushalya dam from Rs 51 crore to Rs 217 crore in seven years.
Y P Singhal, director general, vigilance bureau, on Monday, received a formal communication from the office of chief secretary D S Dhesi. "We have sought records and accordingly, we will start our formal probe,'' said Singhal.
The probe was ordered on the complaint of RTI activist and Shivalik Vikas Manch president Vijay Bansal. He has alleged the dam located at Pinjore and built to meet the drinking water requirement of Panchkula residents was delayed ever since it was announced in 2005 to facilitate a private builder setting up a housing project in Pinjore-Kalka urban complex.
Armed with an RTI query, Bansal had petitioned to the chief minister's office last month and the CM had assured appropriate action. The issue had also figured in the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report for 2013. Auditors had nailed the irrigation department as well as the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA).
Bansal has also sought a probe into the material procured by the contractor as it was alleged that he used the building material i.e. soil, sand, gravel and boulders from the river bed of Kaushalya in violation of the Supreme Court orders and billed the same to the irrigation department.
"We are hopeful of a fair probe in the case now as this area has been cheated of its beauty as well as natural resources by vested interests. We have already prepared the list of annexure to be handed over to the vigilance bureau,'' said Bansal.
In 2005, the then Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led government announced to construct a dam to tap the water of Kaushalya to cater to the need of drinking water supply of Panchkula. The irrigation department had fixed Rs 51 crore as estimated cost of the project that kept pending till 2008, when finally Hooda laid the foundation stone. By then, the cost had escalated. A fresh move to widen the wall of the dam from 12 metres to 30 metres also pushed the expenses up. The irrigation department ended up spending Rs 217 crore to complete the project by June 2012, which included an extension of one year. The HUDA too had spent Rs 23 crore in laying the pipeline connecting the dam with reservoirs constructed in Sector 1 of Panchkula. This also failed as supply to reservoirs had stopped following the complaints of contaminated water in 2013.
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