NVDA buildings in Jabalpur targeted for theft:Man dies after wall collapse; employee’s eye on 100-acre property revealed

The village contractor Narhar Patel used to come to call my husband for work. I never knew that the work he was getting done was like theft. That day too, he came home. He said, bricks need to be removed from the building. You will get 300 rupees. This is what Munni Bai Jharia, who lives in Bargi Nagar, about 40 kilometers from Jabalpur, says. In fact, on March 22, Munni Bai’s 51-year-old husband, Dhani Ram, along with his companion Chhotu Jharia, went with a tractor to remove bricks from a dilapidated house of the Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA). During the work, a high wall collapsed, and he died after being caught in it. His companion, Chhotelal Jharia, brought the body home in a tractor and handed it over to the family. Development authority spreads over 100 acres The Narmada Valley Development Authority in Bargi Nagar, spread over about 100 acres, once had offices and residential houses, which have now become dilapidated due to neglect. Over time, doors and windows from hundreds of houses were stolen, leaving most structures in ruins. On March 22, employee Narhar Patel, along with Chhotelal Jharia, went to Dhaniram Jharia’s house with a tractor to extract bricks from nearby ruined houses under Narhar’s instructions. No department tender had been issued for the brick extraction. Son said – If we had known, we would never have sent him After Dhani Ram’s death, the family is in shock. Son Ganesh said, Father left at 8 AM. At 11 AM, neighbor Chhotelal brought his body. Had we known that the contractor was involved in theft, we would never have sent him. 5 days have passed. So far, no action has been taken, nor has any official come to meet us. Upon learning of the incident, contractor Narhar Patel came home for a short while. Then disappeared.The contractor used to come home every time on the pretext of work. Two days after his father’s demise, Narhar Patel came home and asked to make a list of belongings, but later switched off his mobile. Dhani Ram’s wife Munni Bai Jharia said, My husband had been working with him for many years, so we never suspected anything. It was only after the incident that we learned that bricks were being removed from government houses without permission. Hundreds of houses disappeared Hori Lal Nath, a retired employee of the Narmada Valley Development Authority, has leveled serious allegations against the department’s officials. He stated that the game of stealing government buildings has been going on for many years, and some officials might also be involved in it. Hoorilal Nath says that if the officials had taken cognizance and acted earlier, a person’s life would not have been lost today. Several written complaints were made in this regard, but no attention was paid. Collector considered it a case of theft Jabalpur Collector Raghavendra Singh has considered this case to be related to theft. He has instructed officials to immediately file a police complaint and take action against the culprits. Preliminary investigation also revealed that no tender was issued for demolishing the building. RR Rohit, Assistant Engineer in charge of NVDA, says, Theft incidents are occurring in dilapidated houses, which efforts are made to stop, but due to insufficient security personnel, complete control is not being achieved. No action yet, case moves court Five days after Dhaniram Jharia’s death, the family has received no help, and no action has been taken against the culprits. The matter is now heading to the Madhya Pradesh High Court, warned Bahujan Chetna Vikas Morcha. State President Radheshyam Mehra says officials might be involved. Attempts to contact employee Narhar Patel regarding the allegations failed.