5 MPs seek details of alleged government lies:Teacher calls neighbour’s rooftop pipe a water harvesting system and arranges official photograph in Parliament

Khandwa teacher Sandhya Rajput, from Narayan Nagar, was told by senior officials to install a water harvesting system at her home. However, she submitted a photo of a pipe from a neighbour’s roof that directed rainwater into a drain, calling it her own system. This incident has raised questions about the effectiveness of the district’s water conservation and public participation campaign. When the matter reached Parliament, it caused a stir at the local level as well. Congress councillor and Leader of Opposition in the Municipal Corporation, Deepak (Mullu) Rathore, said the district claims to have completed over 1.25 lakh water conservation works, but this case suggests the figures may not be accurate. This accounts for half of the total 2.5 lakh families residing in the district. If work has truly been done on the ground, why has this campaign not taken the form of a public movement? The reality is that there isn’t a single family in Khandwa that has participated in this campaign. Rathore claims that forget public participation in the water conservation campaign, you won’t even find water harvesting systems in the homes of the district’s public representatives and government officials-employees. As for the enlightened people of the city, I would say, they wouldn’t even know about this campaign. Now, government figures are just figures, and officers are masters of this game. District ranked number one in the country, President awarded prize
Questions have arisen about the water conservation, public participation campaign, especially when the district secured the number one position in the country. As a mark of honor, President Droupadi Murmu also awarded a prize money of two crore rupees to Collector Rishav Gupta and CEO District Panchayat Dr. Nagarjun B Gowda. After receiving the award, when it was revealed that more than 1.25 lakh works had been done in the district for water conservation, no one could digest this fact. After Khandwa secured the first position in the country in the water harvesting campaign, not only were the district’s leaders surprised, but its echo reached other states of the country. Four MPs, including the Khandwa MP and those from South Indian states, raised questions in Parliament. They asked what work had been done regarding water harvesting, how much it had affected the groundwater level, especially in Khandwa district… this information should be provided. Maharashtra MPs demanded information in Parliament
BJP MP Bhumre Sandipan Rao Asaram from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, Congress MP Kalge Shivaji Bandappa from Latur, Maharashtra, BJP MP Kalaben Mohanbhai Delkar from Dadra and Nagar Haveli, BJP MP Gyaneshwar Patil from Khandwa, and NCP MP (Sharad Pawar) Nilesh Gyandev Lanke from Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, jointly asked for information from the Ministry of Jal Shakti. Information sought by MPs through 3 questions When questions arose, Khandwa officials feared an investigation
After questions were raised in Parliament, Khandwa officials began to fear an investigation. Because, given the way the award was announced and promoted after being received, officials have taken to the field to avoid any embarrassment. The Collector and CEO themselves are daily visiting schools, colleges, as well as urban and village panchayats. They are conducting seminars to save water. Even after receiving an award, engineers from the Panchayat department were given training. Getting ‘Bori-Bandhan’ done two months after the rain
Collector Rishav Gupta and CEO Zila Panchayat Dr. Nagarjun B Gowda not only entered the field themselves, but they also engaged secretaries and employment assistants at the panchayat level. Two and a half to three months have passed since the end of the rainy season, and now ‘Bori-Bandhan’ is being carried out in rivers and streams, whereas ‘Bori-Bandhan’ is done during the departure of the rain to stop the flowing water. Now, wherever ‘Bori-Bandhan’ has been done, there is water accumulation either naturally or due to previous mining. Award received at the 6th National Water Awards Ceremony
A month ago, Khandwa district achieved a significant milestone at the 6th National Water Awards Ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. President Droupadi Murmu honored Khandwa Collector Rishav Gupta and District Panchayat CEO Dr. Nagarjun B. Gowda for securing the first position in the country for the ‘Jal Sanchayan Jan Bhagidari Abhiyan’ (Water Conservation Public Participation Campaign). Collector Gupta had stated that Khandwa district has set a new record in the field of water conservation through the ‘Jal Sanchay, Jan Bhagidari’ (Water Conservation, Public Participation) initiative, launched under the Government of India’s ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain’. Due to this, the district has secured the first position in the country. For this achievement, Khandwa district has received an award of 2 crore rupees. Kaveshwar Panchayat received the second award
Kaveshwar Gram Panchayat of Khandwa district was selected for the second award in the category of best Gram Panchayat at the national level due to its remarkable work in water conservation. For this, the Panchayat was awarded a cash prize of 1.50 lakh rupees and a trophy. Kaveri Origin Pond was renovated
In recent years, the origin pond of the Kaveri river was renovated by the Gram Panchayat. Additionally, the hilly area of the panchayat was developed based on the fundamental principle of watershed “Ridge to Valley”. Water conservation work done in 50 hectares
Under this, contours, 55 gully plugs, 35 small ponds, water harvesting systems, handpump recharge, borewell recharge, and recharge shafts were constructed in an area of about 50 hectares. Swindled material money after paying wages
Shailendra, son of Bhavsingh, a resident of Sangwada village of Chhaigaonmakhan Janpad Panchayat, stated that in May 2025, 25,000 rupees each were sanctioned for dugwell construction. 14 farmers in the village were made beneficiaries. The Panchayat Secretary and Employment Assistant went near the farm well, dug a one-foot pit, and took a photo. Now know the number of families in the district
The district administration has stated that 1 lakh 29 thousand 46 works have been done. This includes government residences, offices, and fields, along with houses. However, if we talk about the total number of families in the district, according to the 2011 census, it is 2 lakh 66 thousand 655. Currently, according to the electricity company, their total domestic connections in the district are 2 lakh 36 thousand 186. The government claims that 100% of homes have electricity connections. If we look at the water harvesting data, it is up to 50% of the total number of families in the district. According to this, water conservation work should have been done in every single house and family, but in reality, this is not the case. Panchayat workers said – a four-month target was given
Some panchayat workers working at the ground level, on condition of anonymity, said that the district had given a target in February 2025 to upload photos. During the scorching heat, we only worked for four months to upload photos. Most of the work was done in the last one month. Due to work pressure, panchayat workers made mistakes in haste. There is not much difference between the Jal Ganga Samvardhan and Jal Sanchayan Abhiyan. Whether you catch the ear directly or indirectly, it’s the same thing. CEO said – Award is from last year, photos are from later
District Panchayat CEO Dr. Nagarjun B Gowda stated that the photos being uploaded by the education department are from October 2025. If these are fake, then verification will be done. Investigations are conducted at the national level. A team had also come from Delhi to conduct physical verification of the previous data. Currently, wherever complaints are being received, after inspection, action is being taken against the concerned.