Darjeeling Member of Parliament Raju Bista has submitted a report to Manohar Lal Khattar, the Union minister for housing and urban development.
In the report, he has shared concerns about extensive corruption in the AMRUT scheme projects across multiple municipalities in north Bengal, from the initial Detailed Project Report stage to the final implementation.
Mr Bista has informed the Union minister about a possible hindrance in inspecting the stability and load-bearing capacity of 23 steel water storage tanks being built in Darjeeling municipality under the AMRUT programme.
“This obstruction may be caused by the chief engineer of the municipal engineering directorate, West Bengal, who is in charge of the north zone. Although there were worries expressed about these tanks, particularly given that Darjeeling is situated in Seismic Zone V and is prone to earthquakes, higher ranking officials of the West Bengal government reportedly gave the go-ahead for their construction without properly examining their durability or appropriateness for our hilly area, Darjeeling MP added.
As this project is funded by the Centre, MP has requested the housing and urban development minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, to send a team of experts to assess the stability of the tanks’ geological and hydrological conditions.
“The team will also verify if the DPR consultant and contractor are qualified for this task. If it is found that they do not meet the necessary requirements or if their design does not meet safety standards, appropriate legal action will be taken against them and any responsible officials,” MP Raju Bista claimed.
According to Mr Bista, the lack of a geo-technical and hydrodynamic analysis to guarantee the stability of these water tanks is causing some concerns. However, despite this, the chief engineer of the municipal engineering directorate in the north zone has persistently prevented any inquiries into these undertakings.