Rs 345 cr will be spent after Jal Sanchay Abhiyan, no scope of corruption: CM Vijay Rupani

Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani on Sunday assured the people that not a single penny would be marred by corruption in the multi-crore water-conservation drive — Jal Sanchay Abhiyan, which is to begin on Tuesday. Rupani, at a press conference on Saturday said the government has set up a multi-layer check system, including the CAG audit, leaving no scope for corruption.

Chief secretary Dr JN Singh said a total of Rs 345.23 crore would be spent by the state government alone for deepening of lakes and reservoirs in the state. The government would give contract to different agencies for dredging, desilting and deepening lakes, rivers and reservoirs by earthmovers and more than 4,000 such machines would be utilised for the same.

The CM said, "We are very serious and strict against corruption and will ensure that not a single penny falls into corrupt hands. There will be multiple layered system of check in this entire drive and Comptroller and Auditor General, different chartered accountants and public will also be present as audit or check agency over the civil works to be carried out during the drive(sic). There will be dedicated fund for drive-related works and collectors would be monitoring authority in their concerned district. We will put all the accounts before public once the work starts and then later to completion on May 31 too."

Earlier, it was the Gujarat Land Development Corporation (GLDC) that was responsible for such works but after some of the agency's top officials were booked under huge corruption charges, it has thereafter been debarred to carry on any task.

"We have taken back all assignments from GLDC and no any work will be given to GLDC under this drive. The role and functioning of GLDC is under scrutiny and the work of the agency will not be reassigned until the scrutiny is over," the CM added.