Surat, Jan 21 (IANS) Gujarat Police have arrested five people in connection with the collapse of a newly constructed water tank during testing in Tadkeshwar village of Mandvi taluka, Surat district, an incident that has triggered serious allegations of corruption, poor construction quality and negligence in a Rs 21 crore public project.

The arrested accused include main contractors Jayanti Patel and Ambalal Patel, site supervisor Jasmin Patel, a staff supervisor and another associate.

Investigators have revealed that all the accused are relatives and allegedly acted in collusion to carry out irregularities in the construction work.

The arrests were made swiftly as police intensified action following the incident.

The water tank was part of the Gayapagla Group Water Supply Scheme under the Gujarat Water Supply and Sewerage Board, aimed at providing clean drinking water to more than 33 villages.

The 15-metre-high tank, with a storage capacity of 11 lakh litres, was constructed by Mehsana-based Jayanti Super Construction Private Limited. According to officials, nearly nine lakh litres of water had been filled during routine testing when the structure suddenly collapsed with a loud explosion, reducing the tank to rubble. Three labourers, including a child, were injured in the incident and were rushed for medical treatment.

In immediate administrative action, the state government suspended three GWSSB officials – Superintending Engineer Ankit Garasia, Executive Engineer Rajnikant Chaudhary, and Deputy Engineer Jay Chaudhary.

The contractor has been blacklisted, all pending payments have been halted, and an FIR has been registered at the Mandvi police station. Preliminary findings of the investigation point to the use of substandard materials, violation of construction norms and large-scale corruption.

The incident has sparked widespread anger among local villagers, who said the project was meant to permanently resolve their drinking water crisis. Instead, they allege public funds were misused, leaving the community without water infrastructure and eroding trust in governance.

Police officials said the investigation is ongoing and more arrests may follow as evidence is gathered. The state government has stated that strict action will be taken against all those found responsible and that tighter quality checks will be enforced in future public infrastructure projects to prevent similar incidents.

–IANS

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