Dhar cable scam: Officials prepared fake bills, made excess purchases

Documents accessed from Dhar municipality have revealed that its officials prepared fake bills for electricity cables which were purchased in excess of the requirement.

Documents accessed from Dhar municipality have revealed that its officials prepared fake bills for electricity cables which were purchased in excess of the requirement.

Electricity cables fitted with submersible pumps are laid along with borewells to draw water up from the surface.

RTI activist Sunil Sawant, who obtained documents from municipality from April 1, 2014, to October 20, 2016, revealed that municipality workers installed cables as per their whims. For instance, a 750-foot-long electricity cable was laid for a 300-foot-deep borewell installed at Raghunathpura. The stock register maintained at municipality showed it to be of 6 mm diameter while the cable was found to be of 4 mm diameter.

A tubewell installed at Lalbaug is 300-foot-deep but a 600-foot-long cable was installed with it. The stock register shows it to be of 6 mm diameter but its actual diameter was found to be less than 4 mm. Similarly, a 1000-foot-long cable was laid for 500-foot-deep bore well installed at Navin Nagar Palika Parisar. The stock register shows its length to be at 1,500 feet.

Sawant, who obtained these documents under RTI Act, said the scam is worth lakhs of rupees. Municipality CEO Bhupendra Kumar Dixit said the scam did not occur during his tenure. “I am ready for probe. I will also ask district collector to institute an inquiry into the matter.”