Mumbai: The Bombay high court has asked the state government to file its affidavit in reply to a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging corruption in the construction of Aruna dam in Sindhudurg district.
As per the petition, in 2005, the estimated cost of the project was Rs 54 crores, which has increased to Rs 1,600 crore in 2019. According to the petition, the state government has commenced the work without rehabilitating the 1,800 villagers who have been affected.
A vacation bench of Justice Ajay Gadkari and Justice Nitin Jamdar was hearing the petition filed by Tanaji Kamble, a resident of Vaibhav Wadi, alleging corruption to the tune of Rs 1,000 crores in the construction of the said dam.
Mr Kamble alleged that the three villages of Nagpavadi, Agavane and Bhom would go under water and 1,800 people would be affected by construction of the dam.
The petition further stated that the project had been approved in 2005 for Rs 54 crores and work had started in 2007. However, till 2019, Rs 1,000 crores had been spent on the dam.
Over the past 14 years, only the surface had been made plain and the work of fencing had been completed, according to the petitioner. The petition questioned as to where all the rehabilitation money had gone.
The concerned officers have refuted the allegations saying that all permissions had been sought before commencement of the work.
They also informed the court that tin sheds had been constructed and notices had been issued to all the villagers asking them to shift to those sheds but the villagers themselves had refused to go there.
After hearing both sides, the court asked the state government to file its detailed affidavit and kept the hearing on June 17.
Dams in Sindhudurg
Sindhudurg district is land of various dams. Dhamapur Lake, is an earth-fill dam constructed in 1530 by villagers and Nagesh Desai. It is one of the biggest lake of Sindhudurg district in the state of Maharashtra. The lake receives water throughout the year and remains full throughout the year. Another dam is Deogad Dam, an earthfill dam on Karli Nalla river, Sindhudurg district. Mahamadwadi Dam, (or Mohamod Wadi Dam) is an earthfill dam on Gad river near Nardave in Kankavli taluka of the same district. Talamba Dam, is another earthfill dam on Karli river near Kudal in the district of Sindhudurg.
