Vigilance Probe Uncovers Major Scam in Deha–Khirki Road Expansion Project. Will Vigilance raising din or bring the erring officials to justice?
Shimla: A vigilance inquiry has exposed a massive irregularity in the widening of the Deha–Khirki road, revealing how senior officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) allegedly misused their authority to release crores of rupees to a contractor on the basis of false recommendations and forged records.
According to initial findings, payments were made despite the work remaining incomplete, causing huge revenue losses to the state exchequer and depriving locals of the benefits of the road expansion. Investigators say officers bent rules to unduly favour the contractor, who pocketed large sums without finishing the job.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has now filed a case against the contractor and several former PWD officials and staffers, some of whom have since retired, while others remain in service.
In all, seven people have been booked under multiple provisions of the IPC, including Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120B, along with the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, the Himachal Pradesh Prevention of Specific Corrupt Practices Act, 1983, and Sections 32 and 33 of the Indian Forest Act.
Roadwork Details Under the Scanner
The road widening was sanctioned on 29 June 2018 under the Central Road Fund, with a contract worth ₹8.15 crore awarded to a private contractor.
Vigilance records show the contractor was tasked with cutting 96,503 cubic metres of soil, but only completed 77,272 cubic metres as per Measurement Book (MB) No. 1848.
Even so, a bill of ₹85 lakh was raised and cleared on 1 February 2021. Investigators also found that several retaining walls and a breast wall, measuring 425 metres in length and valued at ₹1.88 crore, had been constructed at the site but never recorded in the MB.
Further scrutiny of certificates issued by the then Assistant Engineer, Chopal, revealed that work worth ₹1.03 crore had no record entries in the official MB, suggesting deliberate manipulation of documents to benefit the contractor.
Vigilance Assures Strict Action
Officials said the inquiry has thrown up “shocking facts” and vowed tough action.
“A thorough investigation is underway, and all those responsible will face the law,” Vigilance sources said.
PWD awarded the tarring of the road to the same contractor and most of the work is complete.
But recent rains has triggered major landslides mainly between Deha and Alidhar and other places exposing the poor quality of walls and the cutting of the hills done mercilessly.
Will vigilance just raise din and do something serious, taking the probe to its logical conclusion.
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