ROAD BUILT FIRST, LATER A PAPER SCAM UNFOLDS

ROAD BUILT FIRST, LATER A PAPER SCAM UNFOLDS

23-MARCH-ENG 6

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA--------------------------The picture of development works currently emerging from the Shahpur Nagar Panchayat in this district has not only astonished the general public but has also cast serious doubts upon administrative transparency. The situation is such that, by completely flouting established norms, a narrative of development has been scripted here wherein the actual work was completed first, and only months later did the exercise to ‘legitimize’ it within government files begin.

This entire episode concerning Ward No. 03 of the Shahpur Nagar Panchayat reads like something straight out of a movie script. Generally, the rules mandate that prior to commencing any public construction project, it is mandatory to obtain approval from the Empowered Standing Committee and to formally pass a resolution during a duly convened Board meeting. However, in the Shahpur Nagar Panchayat, things are proceeding in a completely topsy-turvy manner. Here, the construction of a road was completed without any prior resolution whatsoever. What is truly astonishing is that the municipal administration only remembered the rules and regulations *after* the road had already been built and the contractor began making repeated rounds of the Nagar Panchayat office to claim payment.

Approximately five months after the road construction was completed, an emergency meeting of the Empowered Standing Committee was hastily convened. In the proceedings book of this meeting—held on July 10, 2024—a manipulation was executed that points directly toward corruption. The very same road that had already been built was arbitrarily divided into three separate sections, and a proposal for its *fresh* construction was formally recorded. According to informed sources, this entire process is merely a calculated bureaucratic charade orchestrated solely for the purpose of siphoning off public funds.

Meanwhile, when Deputy Chief Councilor Jhuniya Devi was questioned regarding this matter, she stated that she had already written a letter to the Executive Officer seeking an explanation on the subject; however, no concrete action was taken on his part, nor was any response provided to her letter. Registering strong protest against this entire episode, the Deputy Chief Councilor has termed it a glaring example of corruption. She has announced that she will write a formal letter to the Principal Secretary of the Department of Urban Development and Housing, seeking a high-level inquiry into this entire matter. She argues that a thorough investigation is required to determine how any work could be executed without administrative approval, and under what circumstances subsequent attempts were made to legitimize it.