NGO Jan Manch has filed the PIL, alleging that 'politically influential' contractors executed substandard works, and siphoned off thousands of crores of rupees.
The PIL seeks a CBI probe, and also requests the HC to appoint a high-level committee headed by a retired judge of Supreme Court with an irrigation expert as a member to conduct "audit" of the projects, to assess the irrigation potential actually created.
This corruption is responsible for Vidarbha's irrigation backlog and agrarian crisis, it says.
After a brief hearing on Friday, the division bench of Justices Pratap Hardas and M L Tahaliyani issued notices to state, Union Finance Ministry (which is financing Gosikhurd project) and VIDC, seeking replies in three weeks.
The High Court expressed a shock when petitioner's lawyer Anil Kilor pointed out that two inquiry reports clearly indicted officials and contractors for shoddy work, but no action was taken in the last two years. Even CAG had rapped VIDC for excessive spending and unjustified cost escalation, he said, adding that the scam was to the tune of Rs 26,000 crore.
The petition states that in the span of seven months in 2009, the cost of 38 irrigation projects of VIDC escalated by a whopping Rs 20,050.06 crore -- from Rs 6,672.27 crore to Rs 26,722.33 crore.
Thirty of these projects got sanctions in just four days, it adds.