1 bag of cement bought for ₹1.92 lakh in Chhindwara:Only 15 pillars built, plumbing bills in lakhs; Temple shown as community building

A scam has come to light in Junnardev Janpad Panchayat of Chhindwara, where a temple being built from donations was shown as a community building in government papers. Out of the approved 24 lakhs, 17 lakh rupees were spent, but only a structure of 15 pillars stands on the ground. The extent of embezzlement is such that one bag of cement was shown costing 1.92 lakh rupees, and the plumbing bill was also shown in lakhs. In this matter, Collector Harendra Narayan Singh has issued a notice to the Planning Officer seeking a response. Meanwhile, preparations are also underway to recover the amount from the responsible officials. On March 27, 2023, approval was received for the construction of a community building or Mangal Bhawan, at a cost of about 24 lakh rupees from MLA funds in the Gram Panchayat Junnardev Vishala. Janpad Panchayat Junnardev was made the agency, with the responsibility lying with the Sarpanch and the Secretary. In this entire matter, it is alleged that 17 lakh rupees were withdrawn just on paper in the name of construction materials without any layout, drawing, design, or labour payment. When villagers got wind of this, the matter came to light. Report approved by claiming 15-pillar structure as community building Villagers complained to the then Collector during a public hearing in November 2024. The Collector assigned investigation responsibility to two different officers and demanded reports. First Report…
The first report was submitted by District Planning Officer Yashwant Vaidh. In the report, a temple construction work was described as community building work. The officer stated in the report that the Mangal Bhavan work is in progress. However, in reality, there was only a structure with 15 pillars. About 200 meters away from the structure, a temple is under construction where a 51-foot Shiva statue has been installed. This construction was being carried out through donations from Shiva devotees in the area. It has no connection with the community building scheme, yet the District Planning Officer, along with local officials and employees, sent an investigation report to the district office describing this religious structure as the Mangal Bhavan. Second report…
This report from Junnardev SDM Kamini Thakur was exposing the irregularity. It stated that upon site inspection, no such community building construction was seen taking place. There was a contradiction in both reports. In September 2025, the Collector was transferred. When villagers complained about the matter again, current Collector Harendra Narayan reopened the file in October. He sent notices to the officials involved. One bag of cement costs 1 lakh 92 thousand
The SDM’s report included construction-related bills that shocked everyone. According to the report, cement was purchased for construction at a price comparable to gold. In this, one bag of cement was shown to cost 1 lakh 92 thousand rupees. Three bills were submitted on December 1, 2023. First, one bag of cement was purchased for 1,92,000. On the same day, a second bag of cement for 1,92,000 and a third bag for 1,12,000 were billed. A total expense of 7 lakh 23 thousand was shown in three installments under plumbing fittings. On June 1, 2023, Rs 25 thousand was withdrawn in the name of CC Road construction, although no construction took place at that location. Not a single labour payment is recorded, but materials worth lakhs are shown. So far two sub-engineers transferred, collector also changed
Since the construction work on this community building started, two officers have been transferred. The construction agency was the Gram Panchayat, but approval had to be given by the sub-engineer. This position also kept changing continuously. Janpad Panchayat CEO said – Amount was not released at once
Janpad Panchayat CEO Rashmi Chauhan said that the case was also investigated by another AE. The amount was released on Rizwana Khan’s recommendation. The amount was also not released all at once. Villagers filed a complaint on the Chief Minister’s helpline, but it is alleged that local officials pressured to get the complaint ‘Special Force Closed’. Then the complaint reached the Collector and SDM. The SDM’s investigation found the irregularities to be true. Collector issued notice, preparation for recovery of amount
Dainik Bhaskar spoke to Collector Harendra Narayan Singh regarding the news. During the TL meeting in October, the Collector called for both investigation reports. Upon finding irregularities in the report, he issued a notice to the District Planning Officer. The Collector said that the investigation report revealed that the construction done does not match the community building at all. Design and structure were also not considered. Notice has been issued to the Planning Officer. Action will also be taken against other responsible officials. MLA said – It’s a project bigger than 1 crore, initial work is going on now
When MLA Sunil Uike was asked about this, he described it as a one crore project. He said that this project is worth more than one crore and is currently in its initial stages. BJP members are having stomach aches, which is why they are complaining. A three-story community building is to be constructed. It is wrong to estimate by looking at the construction site now. ​