President water conservation award fraud exposed in Khandwa:Team finds ponds pits only on paper after Bhaskar’s investigation reveals large-scale irregularities

The alleged fraud behind the President’s Award conferred on Khandwa district for water conservation is now gradually coming to light. Following an expose by Dainik Bhaskar, a two-member investigation team led by senior IAS officer Dinesh Kumar Jain arrived in Khandwa from Bhopal on Tuesday to probe the matter. Using reports published on Bhaskar Digital as the basis of their inquiry, the team visited several villages to conduct a ground-level “reality check”. What they encountered at various sites alternated between disbelief and irony. On-ground verification reveals startling discrepancies To examine alleged irregularities, the investigation team carried out physical inspections, including digging pits at certain locations, and held discussions with local residents. The inquiry revealed that in some places intake wells were hurriedly dug shortly before the team’s arrival, allegedly to conceal discrepancies in official records submitted by the Collector and District Panchayat CEO. Dotkheda Village: Pond exists only on paper The investigation team first visited Dotkheda village in Harsud Janpad, accompanied by Dainik Bhaskar reporters. Claim on records: Construction of a pond in a farmer’s field. Ground reality: The field merely had soil dumped to resemble a pond. No water conservation structure was found. The team recorded this as a clear case of misrepresentation and moved on. See the team’s investigation in three pictures… Palani Mal Village: Pits dug far short of specifications From Dotkheda, the team proceeded directly to Palani Mal village. As news of their arrival spread, a large number of villagers gathered and began narrating instances of alleged fraud even before officials questioned them. Residents led the team to sites where paper claims differed sharply from reality. Key irregularities identified included- Shahpura Mal: Pit dug after investigation began In Shahpura Mal village, the team discovered that funds for a recharge pit on Virendra Malviya’s field had already been withdrawn, but no pit existed on site. After this information came to light, a pit was dug using a JCB machine on Tuesday morning. However, it was only one foot deep, whereas the approved estimate specified a pit measuring 10×10 feet. Moreover, it was dug in a bush-covered corner of the field, raising further doubts about its legitimacy. Background of the case On November 11, the central government awarded Khandwa district first prize under the National Water Award, along with ₹2 crore, for water conservation efforts. The honour was received by Collector Rishabh Gupta and the District Panchayat CEO from the President of India. However, investigations have revealed that while the administration claimed completion of 1.29 lakh works, many ponds, stop dams and soak pits exist only on paper. Several images uploaded to official portals were allegedly AI-generated. In Shahpura Panchayat alone, 150 soak pits were reported, but inspections found only shallow pits or mere pipes. Similarly, 11 ponds claimed in Harvanshpura village were found to be non-existent. Following Dainik Bhaskar’s revelations, the Bhopal-based team is now verifying these alleged irregularities in detail.