Rs40 crore scam? Man moves Gujarat high court for probe

A resident of Porbandar has moved Gujarat high court alleging a scam in the implementation of the state government’s khet talavadis (farm ponds) scheme in Porbandar.

In his public interest litigation (PIL), filed on Thursday, he has alleged that the government officials have not done any work but raised false bills and misappropriated public funds worth Rs30 crore to Rs40 crore.

Ashlam Khokhar, a resident of Porbandar, has stated in his PIL that the implementation of the scheme to harvest rainwater by creating small ponds on fields in the district has been on paper only. No actual work has been done on the scheme and as a result, there has been no improvement in the level of ground water.

Along with the petition, Khokhar has submitted photographs of the places where khet talavadis were to be built, affidavits of villagers and documents accessed by him under the RTI Act.

The Gujarat government had launched the scheme between 2006 and 2009 to improve soil health and water conservation by building small water bodies on fields.

Recharging ground water by harvesting rainwater was also one of the objectives of the scheme for which Gujarat State Land Development Corporation (GSLDC) was the nodal agency.

Khokhar has alleged that officials of GSLDC have misappropriated public funds to the tune of Rs30 crore to Rs40 crore.

In the petition, Khokhar has sought a probe into the alleged scam and action against officials who are found guilty. He also prayed that an FIR be lodged against officials who are found responsible for the embezzlement of public money.