PHED Under Fire as ₹205 Crore Drinking Water Project for 190 Villages Cancelled After Prolonged Delay

Jaipur: Serious questions have emerged over the functioning of Rajasthan’s Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) after a major drinking water project under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) meant to supply water to nearly 190 villages in Dholpur and Rajakhera blocks was cancelled following prolonged administrative delays.

The ₹205.20 crore lift-cum-drinking water project, which was expected to improve water access for thousands of rural residents, has now been annulled after the tender process remained unresolved for more than 16 months despite completion of key procedural stages.

The cancellation has intensified criticism of PHED’s project management, administrative efficiency, and monitoring mechanisms, especially as the delay was reportedly caused not by financial constraints or technical hurdles, but by prolonged inaction within the department itself.

Project Meant to Benefit 190 Villages

The project was sanctioned under the Jal Jeevan Mission with the objective of providing drinking water connectivity to villages in the Dholpur and Rajakhera regions, areas that continue to face recurring water shortages.

Officials had projected the scheme as a major rural infrastructure initiative aimed at strengthening long-term water security in the region.

However, despite approvals and tender proceedings progressing substantially, the project failed to move beyond the administrative stage.

Timeline Reveals Major Delays

Documents related to the tender process indicate a series of delays at multiple stages.

Under NIT No. 02/2024-25:

• Technical bids for the project were opened on February 11, 2025.
• The department reportedly took nearly four months to open financial bids, which were finally processed on June 30, 2025.
• In July 2025, the Finance Committee (FC-904) approved the lowest bidder, M/s Shree Hari Infra Projects.

The company’s quoted price was reportedly 11.52% higher than the estimated project cost, requiring approval from the Finance Department as per applicable rules.

File Sent, But No Follow-Up

According to departmental records, the proposal file was forwarded electronically to the Finance Department on July 24, 2025.

However, sources indicate that after forwarding the file, PHED officials allegedly failed to actively pursue timely clearance or coordinate follow-up approvals.

As a result, the matter remained pending for months while the validity periods of participating bidders gradually expired.

Bid Validity Expired One by One

The most significant issue in the case relates to the expiration of bid validity periods.

Records indicate:

• Two companies’ bid validity expired on July 11, 2025.
• Another bidder’s validity expired on August 31, 2025.
• The L1 bidder’s validity remained active until March 14, 2026.

Despite having nearly eight months to secure approvals and finalise the contract, the department reportedly failed to complete the process in time.

Eventually, the L1 company declined to extend its validity period further, forcing the department to cancel the entire tender process under Rule 72 of the Rajasthan Transparency in Public Procurement (RTPP) Rules, 2013.

Fresh tenders will now have to be invited, restarting the process from the beginning.

Impact on Villages and Water Supply

The cancellation is expected to significantly delay water supply improvements for affected villages.

Residents in Dholpur and Rajakhera regions, many of whom continue to face acute drinking water shortages, may now have to wait several more years before the project materialises.

Experts also warn that re-tendering the project could increase the overall cost due to inflation and revised construction rates, potentially placing additional financial burden on the public exchequer.

Finance Committee Expresses Displeasure

The issue reportedly came under discussion during the recent FC-917 Finance Committee meeting, where officials expressed strong displeasure over the cancellation of a project that had already crossed several approval stages.

The committee is understood to have directed the Chief Engineer (Special Projects) to submit:

• A complete timeline from administrative and financial sanction to cancellation.
• Detailed reasons for the delay.
• Clarification regarding lack of timely follow-up with the Finance Department.

The committee also reportedly instructed officials to ensure timely processing of such cases in future projects.

Questions Over Accountability

The controversy has now triggered broader concerns over accountability within PHED.

Observers and local stakeholders are raising several critical questions:

• Why was no urgency shown despite repeated expiry of bid validity periods?
• Why was timely coordination with the Finance Department not ensured?
• Should officials responsible for the delay face disciplinary action?
• Who will bear the financial burden of increased project costs resulting from re-tendering?

Critics argue that mere expressions of displeasure may not be sufficient in cases involving large public infrastructure projects affecting essential services like drinking water supply.

Growing Scrutiny of PHED Project Management

The cancellation adds to a series of recent controversies surrounding PHED projects in Rajasthan, where delays, cost escalations, tender cancellations, and procedural irregularities have repeatedly come under scrutiny.

Infrastructure experts believe the incident reflects deeper systemic problems involving administrative inefficiency, weak monitoring, delayed decision-making, and lack of accountability in execution of public welfare projects.

For thousands of villagers still waiting for reliable drinking water supply, the cancelled project represents not merely a failed tender process, but another setback in the promise of “Har Ghar Jal” under the Jal Jeevan Mission.