₹50 Lakh Bill Submitted for Hospital Water Tank That Does Not Exist in Gujarat's Palitana
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
State authorities have ordered a criminal investigation and strict disciplinary proceedings after discovering that a 2.55 lakh-litre underground water tank meant for a public hospital in Bhavnagar district was never constructed, despite officials submitting a bill of ₹50.43 lakh for payment approval.
The ghost project came to light following a physical inspection at the Palitana hospital premises, where the designated site for the massive storage facility was found completely empty. A subsequent departmental review confirmed that no physical construction had ever taken place on the ground, even as documentation claiming completion moved up the administrative chain.
Sub-Contractor and Engineers Under Investigation
A preliminary inquiry into the paper trail revealed that official invoices were formally drafted and forwarded to higher offices for financial clearance without any site verification. The health department has moved to file formal police complaints against two key supervisory figures:
- In-Charge Executive Engineer: Mehul Dave, accused of submitting the fraudulent bill without verifying site work.
- Deputy Executive Engineer: N.V. Kaliya, implicated in processing and endorsing the paperwork.
Departmental procedures are underway to suspend and relieve both engineers from their duties, with formal dismissal proceedings expected to follow.
Blacklisting Proceedings Initiated Against Agency
Alongside police action against the state engineers, administrative steps have been launched to blacklist the firm awarded the construction mandate, Surat-based Dharmanandan Construction.
Aviation and public works oversight teams in the district have been instructed to audit all pending hospital infrastructure developments in the region to ensure that released public funds match verified, on-ground construction. Authorities affirmed that additional checks will be strictly enforced across civil projects to prevent similar billing irregularities.
