Patna, March 17: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today ordered a departmental probe into allegations of legislators that large-scale anomalies had taken place in sinking of hand pumps on recommendations of MLAs and MLCs.
PHED Principal secretary H C Sirohi would inquire into the allegations and submit his report at the earliest and the government would initiate action against the erring officials, Kumar told the state Assembly.
Kumar had intervened during Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey’s reply to a discussion on his department’s 2010-11 budgetary demand.
He said altogether 27,238 hand pumps were sunk on the recommendations of the legislators during 2006-07 and 2007-08 and more would be sunk shortly as per the recommendations.
He said allegations regarding use of sub-standard materials in sinking of tube wells would be probed by the principal secretary of the department.
–Agencies