Now, FIR for 7cr NREGA scam in Bharuch

Surat: Police registered an FIR on Friday for an alleged scam worth Rs 7 crore in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) scheme in Bharuch district. This came after an inquiry was conducted by the Bharuch district panchayat and the district rural development agency (DRDA).The inquiry uncovered irregularities worth Rs 19 lakh in 11 road projects executed by two agencies. The scope of the ongoing investigation covers road works in over 50 villages, including scrutiny of construction materials used.Police have booked Piyush Ratilal Nukani, the proprietor of Jalaram Enterprise, and Jodha Naran Sabhad, the owner of Murlidhar Enterprise. The registered addresses of both firms are in Supasi village near Veraval. The FIR was filed at Bharuch A Division police station under sections of the Indian Penal Code dealing with forgery and breach of trust.The complaint was filed by Pratik Chaudhary, assistant project officer at the DRDA. The investigation is being led by inspector R M Vasava of Bharuch A Division police station. Police said more names will be added to the FIR as their roles become clear and evidence is gathered.These agencies were awarded contracts for road construction in various talukas of Bharuch district under the NREGA scheme. The work was carried out between Jan 20, 2023, and June 30, 2024. The agencies submitted bills for the completed work and received payment accordingly.Meanwhile, Sahara Infrastructure Co, based in Bhalpura village along the Somnath-Jetpur Highway, submitted a complaint to the additional commissioner of rural development on March 13, 2024. It alleged that payments were made to these agencies in violation of tender rules. After this, DRDA Bharuch was directed to begin an inquiry.The inquiry found that the agencies compromised on construction material quality and failed to adhere to NREGA rules on labour deployment. "According to the scheme, 60% of the project cost must go towards labour and 40% to materials. The accused did not comply with this ratio. In some cases, materials specified in the tender were not used, and in others substandard materials were used," said Vasava."The FIR is currently based on findings from 11 villages involving Rs 19 lakh in irregularities. However, road work was carried out in over 50 villages, and the total scam value may exceed Rs 7 crore," a police official added.