Jaipur/Udaipur, April 23: Serious financial irregularities have been alleged in Rajasthan’s Jal Jeevan Mission after an audit reportedly flagged wrongful payments of more than ₹80.30 crore in a major rural drinking water supply project in Udaipur division. The project, linked to the Som-Kamla-Amba Dam-based water supply scheme, was launched to provide tap water connections to thousands of rural households in Dungarpur district and adjoining areas. The matter has triggered fresh questions over the functioning of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), supervision of works, and release of public funds despite incomplete execution.
According to available details, the contract for the scheme was awarded in April 2022 to a joint venture involving M/s Jagdish Prasad Agarwal and another firm. The project was intended to supply drinking water to over 34,000 households spread across 151 villages and 244 hamlets in Dungarpur town, Aspur, Dovra and nearby regions. The original deadline for completion was July 2023. However, the audit reportedly found that even by August 2025, the work remained incomplete, resulting in a delay of nearly two years. Despite the delay and pending execution, substantial payments were allegedly released to the contractor.
The most serious audit objection reportedly concerns the release of payments without mandatory inspections required under Jal Jeevan Mission norms. Under standard procedure, payments are to be cleared only after joint physical verification by the Third Party Inspection Agency (TPIA), Gram Panchayat representatives, and departmental engineers. The audit noted that payments up to the eighth running bill were passed without proper documentary evidence of such joint inspections. This has raised concerns that bills may have been cleared without verifying the actual quantity and quality of work completed at the ground level.
The questioned amount reportedly totals ₹80,29,92,645, spread across eight running bills. The first bill was around ₹7.90 crore, followed by ₹8.44 crore in the second bill, ₹8.93 crore in the third, ₹11.25 crore in the fourth, ₹17.65 crore in the fifth, ₹11.61 crore in the sixth, ₹10.08 crore in the seventh, and ₹4.40 crore in the eighth bill. The release of such a large amount without complete procedural compliance has intensified allegations of administrative negligence or possible collusion.
The controversy has also raised larger concerns regarding the quality of infrastructure created under the project. Questions are being asked about whether pipelines were properly laid, whether old lines were shown as new work, whether material quality was tested, and whether incomplete or defective work was certified for payment. If these allegations are established, the scandal could have serious implications not only for public finances but also for drinking water access in rural Rajasthan.
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The revelations come at a time when several Jal Jeevan Mission projects in Rajasthan are already under scrutiny over allegations of corruption, irregular tendering, forged documentation, and poor-quality execution. Opposition voices and civil society groups are now demanding a high-level investigation, recovery of excess payments, and action against engineers, contractors, and officials found responsible.
No official response had been issued from the concerned department at the time of filing this report. However, the issue is expected to generate political and administrative pressure on the Rajasthan government, as the Jal Jeevan Mission remains one of the flagship schemes aimed at ensuring safe drinking water to rural households across the country.