A political controversy has surfaced in the state capital after allegations that a Rs 22 crore tender for a water tank was issued without securing necessary clearances, leading to the halting of the proposed groundbreaking ceremony. Leader of Opposition Akash Tiwari has accused the Raipur Municipal Corporation of gross negligence in handling the project in Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Ward No. 31 under the Raipur North Assembly constituency. Residents of the ward have been facing an acute water crisis for several days, with several localities reportedly receiving little to no water supply. Amid this situation, the civic body had announced plans to construct a new overhead water tank to address the shortage. According to Tiwari, while the tender for the project had already been issued and preparations for the groundbreaking ceremony were underway, the land earmarked for construction had not been properly verified.

 

He alleged that officials proceeded with site clearing based on preliminary land records, but officials from the Women and Child Development Department later claimed ownership of the same land, forcing the work to stop. Raising questions over the administrative process, Tiwari said that a No Objection Certificate should have been obtained from the concerned department before issuing the tender. He termed the sequence of actions, issuing a tender first and verifying land later, as a serious lapse in governance.

 

The controversy has intensified concerns over the functioning of the Municipal Corporation, especially as residents continue to struggle with water scarcity. Tankers are reportedly being used to supply water in several areas, but the situation remains critical. The proposed project involves construction of a 2.5 million litre capacity water tank on around 15,000 square feet of land, which officials claim would significantly ease the water crisis in the region. However, with the land dispute unresolved and possession yet to be secured, the project now faces delays. Tiwari has demanded strict action against officials responsible for the lapse and sought accountability for what he described as administrative failure affecting a key part of Raipur.