Irregularities alleged in Varadarajaswamy project

Atmakuru: Water users’ association members and ayacut farmers of the Varadarajaswamy Project demand vigilance probe by district collector and higher-ups in the irrigation department to unearth irregularities in running the affairs of the project.
The project, built across north Munimadugula stream feeds 10 tanks in Atmakuru and Kottapalli mandals besides irrigating 12000 acres under its ayacut.

Divisional executive engineer and Assistant engineers who are supposed to run the affairs of the Rs 35-crore project allegedly became visiting professors. Solar lights fitted to the dam at a cost of Rs 2.50 lakh were stolen. A complaint has been lodged with the police here recently.

Dam officials, Non-gazetted officers’ union leaders, engineers and others have been working at the same place for years altogether and were accused of misleading the district administration with falsified accounts. Earlier, the state government is understood to have warned the Chief Engineer Chittibabu with dire consequences if he did not mend his ways. It is learnt that Japan sanctioned Rs 20 crore to the project works.

Following this, some of the officials have put off their transfer reportedly with an eye to embezzle the funds. The irregularities are alleged because the project has no full-fledged staff. Some of the officials are accused of giving wrong picture to the district administration sweeping the facts under the carpet.

by M Sathya Peter