Notice issued to 6 officials including CEO:Over 1.92 lakh cement bags purchased; donated construction now considered govt property; prompting investigation

Action has been taken against officials in Chhindwara for showing a temple built with donations as a government community hall. Within 24 hours of a report in Dainik Bhaskar on Sunday, Collector Harendra Narayan ordered the recovery of funds from six people, including the Janpad CEO, Sarpanch, and engineer. He also directed disciplinary action against them. The case relates to Junnardeo Vishala Gram Panchayat, where officials, through collusion, misrepresented a temple as a community hall. Out of the sanctioned ₹24 lakh, ₹17 lakh has been spent, but only 15 pillars of the structure have been built. Investigations revealed that one bag of cement was shown costing ₹1.92 lakh, plumbing bills were inflated, and the construction did not match the approved design. Recovery will be made from these 6 responsible individuals
The Executive Engineer and Additional CEO District Panchayat have confirmed clear irregularities in the investigation report. Based on this, the Collector has issued notices against these officers and public representatives for the recovery of the irregular amount. Temple built with donations declared a government building
On March 27, 2023, 24 lakh rupees were sanctioned from the MLA fund for a community hall. Out of these, 17 lakh were spent. The investigation revealed that officials passed the report by declaring the structure of a temple and a 51-foot Shiva idol, being built with donations from Shiva devotees 200 meters away from the construction site, as a ‘Mangal Bhawan’ (community hall). Price of one bag of cement shown as 1.92 lakh
In this scam, massive manipulation of bills came to light. On December 1, 2023, three bills were submitted. In these, the price of one bag of cement was shown as 1 lakh 92 thousand rupees. On the same day, the second bag was also purchased for 1 lakh 92 thousand, while the third bag was purchased for 1 lakh 12 thousand rupees. A total expenditure of 7 lakh 23 thousand was shown three times under the name of plumbing fittings. Planning Officer had given a wrong report
District Planning Officer Yashwant Vaid had stated in the first report that the work was in progress. He showed the temple construction itself as a community hall. Later, the report of Junnardeo SDM Kamini Thakur exposed the truth. The SDM stated that no such community hall was being built on the spot. Collector said – will not spare anyone
Collector Harendra Narayan said that misuse of public funds will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Full recovery will be made from the culprits. Strict action will be taken to prevent such incidents from happening in the future. MLA said – it’s just the beginning
In this matter, MLA Sunil Uike says that this project is worth over one crore, and is currently in its initial stages. He said, “BJP members are having stomach aches, which is why they are complaining. A three-story community building is to be constructed. It is wrong to make assumptions by looking at the construction site right now.”