BHOPAL: An unimaginable 168 labourers and 65 masons were engaged by a private contractor to apply just 4 litres of oil paint at a government school in Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol district – which cost a whopping Rs 1,06,984 to the state exchequer.The bizarre bill, pertaining to the application of just 4 litres of oil paint at the Government High School in Sakandi village of Beohari, was not the only example of alleged financial wrongdoing. A similar bill was generated and paid for construction and painting-related work at another school in the same development block of Shahdol district.At the Government Higher Secondary School in Nipania village, the same private contractor, Sudhakar Constructions, raised another bill worth Rs 2,31,685. This time, the charges were for applying 20 litres of oil paint, installing ten windows, and fitting four doors—works allegedly done with the help of 275 labourers and 150 masons.Not only were these bizarrely inflated bills raised by the private contractor, but the payments were reportedly cleared with the signatures of the principals of the two government schools and the in-charge district education officer, PS Marpachi.Surprisingly, while the bills claimed that 443 labourers and 215 masons were involved in the work at both schools, ground-level reports suggested that there aren’t even that many labourers or masons in and around the two villages concerned.
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