FIRs against 26 officials in irrigation scam

An Aurangabad court has asked the local police to file first information reports (FIRs) against 26 state officials, including the former chief secretary, former finance secretary, former executive directors of the Godavari Irrigation Development Corporation and a host of retired and serving senior engineers from the water resources department, in an alleged irrigation scam.

An Aurangabad court has asked the local police to file first information reports (FIRs) against 26 state officials, including the former chief secretary, former finance secretary, former executive directors of the Godavari Irrigation Development Corporation and a host of retired and serving senior engineers from the water resources department, in an alleged irrigation scam.

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The officials allegedly inflated the cost of 11 Kolhapur Type weirs in Marathwada by 20 to 100 times, causing a loss of Rs. 2,000 crore to the state exchequer.

A KT barrage is a barrier on the flow of water with gates opened during the monsoon to release water from the dam into the river for storage.

Judicial magistrate DR Pathan gave the directions for FIRs to be filed on Friday, acting on a complaint filed by former Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Babanrao Lonikar.