Suspected Water Supply Scam Uncovered in Surat: 10 Arrested

Surat CID (Crime) has exposed a significant scam in drinking water projects, resulting in the arrest of 10 individuals, which includes government officials. These arrests were made in connection with the alleged embezzlement of state funds amounting to Rs 9 crore for unexecuted projects, as disclosed by the police.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, Surat CID (crime), AM Captain, informed that five contractors and five employees of the Gujarat Water Supply & Sewerage Board (GWSSB) are among those arrested. The government's initiative aimed at supplying water to tribal regions through pipelines and borewells has been compromised, he noted.

Captain added that the misappropriation involved falsifying the execution of government projects, with the vigilance department confirming that only four out of 94 checked projects were actually completed. The court has sanctioned a nine-day police remand for the accused, who include Dalpat Patel, Rakesh Patel, Jagdish Parmar, Narendra Shah, Tejal Shah, Jyoti Shah, Shilpi Raj, Karin Patel, Mohammad Nalwala, and Dharmesh Patel.

Information provided to the Surat CID Crime and Vigilance Team indicated widespread corruption within the government’s water supply scheme for rural Navsari district. The scheme's primary offender, Dalpat Patel, an executive engineer, abused his authority to approve false bills for non-existent work and bypassed official tendering procedures to ensure the work contracts were awarded to chosen associates.

(With inputs from agencies.)