Bengaluru: In a startling revelation, an audit conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has uncovered significant irregularities in the desilting of lakes across Karnataka. The audit has shown that not only JCB machines and lorries, but also cars, scooters, small goods vehicles, and auto rickshaws have been used in these projects, leading to the payment of crores in fraudulent bills.
The audit report revealed that passenger vehicles and small cargo vehicles were fraudulently registered for desilting works, with bills amounting to Rs 3.99 crore paid in their names. This massive scam was carried out in 20 districts by the Karnataka Lake Conservation Authority, an organization under the Department of Minor Irrigation.
The CAG’s audit report confirmed several irregularities in the bill payments for the desilting works. The Minor Irrigation Department, responsible for implementing the Kere Sanjeevini project, conducted the tender process through various agencies. However, the payment of bills was exclusively under the jurisdiction of the Karnataka Lake Conservation Authority.
Between 2020-21 and 2022-23, the Lake Conservation Authority desilted around 173 lakes across the state. Upon inspecting the files related to these works, the audit revealed significant lapses in bill payments for 108 out of 174 lakes. A total of 230 JCB and Hitachi excavators were reportedly used to remove silt from these lakes, with 38,197 hours of work billed at a cost of Rs 3.19 crore. However, documentation for 191 of these JCBs, including ownership documents, lease agreements, and registration certificates, were not submitted.
When the registration numbers of the vehicles entered in the logbook were cross-checked against RTO records, it was found that many of these were passenger vehicles such as cars, scooters, Maruti vans, Ritz cars, and auto rickshaws. The total bill paid for these 191 vehicles amounted to Rs 2.62 crore. Additionally, the auditors found that three JCBs with the same registration number were billed as working on different lakes on the same day at the same time, an impossibility that further highlighted the fraudulent activities.
In another case, 129 JCBs and excavators were used for 23,088 hours to desilt 51 out of 263 lakes, with a total bill of Rs 1.92 crore. However, the registration numbers of 65 of these JCBs, when checked at the RTO, were found to be passenger vehicles. The bill amount for these works using the 65 machines was Rs 1.02 crore. Similarly, another Rs 35 lakh was billed in a separate work under questionable circumstances.
Sanjeevaiah, an office bearer of the Tumkur District Lake Development Association, has filed a complaint with the Lokayukta against Venkataramaiah, a technical expert at the Lake Development Authority, holding him responsible for the irregularities in the Kere Sanjeevini project. The Lokayukta has issued a notice to Venkataramaiah, demanding an explanation for the complaint.
The CAG’s audit report has exposed a massive scam in the desilting projects of Karnataka’s lakes, with widespread misuse of funds and fraudulent billing practices. The findings have raised serious questions about the accountability and transparency of the Karnataka Lake Conservation Authority and the Department of Minor Irrigation. As investigations continue, it is hoped that those responsible will be brought to justice and steps will be taken to prevent such irregularities in the future.
