There are allegations of misappropriation of government funds under the Atal Ground Water Scheme. More than ₹2.75 crore has been misappropriated under the guise of embankment construction under the Atal Ground Water Scheme, operated by the Minor Irrigation Department.
Based on the complaints, Sadar MLA Prakash Dwivedi has written to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, demanding a TAC investigation and strict action against the culprits.
Sadar MLA Prakash Dwivedi has written to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, stating that the Minor Irrigation Department has become a den of corruption.
He stated that while the state government is continuously allocating funds to provide better irrigation facilities to farmers, department officials are engaged in widespread corruption and negligence by misappropriating government funds on the ground.
The MLA wrote in the letter that the Minor Irrigation Department is openly mocking irrigation projects, including check dams, borings, pump installations, blast wells, and embankment construction. Many projects were completed only on paper, while on the ground, they either remain incomplete or have collapsed due to poor construction.
The MLA has called for a TAC investigation into departmental work completed between 2022-23 and 2025-26 and strict action against those found guilty.
It has been reported that embankment construction projects were prepared under the Atal Groundwater Scheme at a cost of approximately ₹2.88 crore (approximately $28.8 million), for which payments were withdrawn by showing many embankments as completed on paper. The tender process required for embankment construction also suffered significant irregularities and lacked transparency.
The complainant also alleges that, through collusion with departmental officials and employees, favored contractors were awarded the embankment construction work, and government funds were embezzled by hasty payments without physical verification. District Magistrate Amit Aseri stated that the matter is not under his cognizance and an investigation will be conducted.