Chandigarh, Nov. 8 -- Launched with much fanfare by Union home minister Amit Shah in August 2024, the 24x7 water supply project in Manimajra has failed to achieve the desired results, with the Chandigarh administration already mulling scrapping the project considering its poor performance. In the latest development, the office of the Director General of Audit, New Delhi, will be conducting a comprehensive audit, spanning four days, on the feasibility study of the water supply project, executed under the Smart City Mission of Chandigarh. On October 26, city member Parliament (MP) Manish Tewari had written to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), K Sanjay Murthy, demanding a comprehensive performance audit of the project, particularly its failed Manimajra pilot, which he said had "completely collapsed" despite heavy public expenditure. Earlier on September 30, the MC House had rejected the proposal to scrap the project. The UT administration had first signed a memorandum of understanding with Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) in 2016, under which the French agency agreed to support projects in water supply, sanitation and waste management. The detailed project report (DPR) for the citywide 24x7 water supply scheme was approved by the MC House in December 2019. In his letter to CAG 10 days ago, Tewari had highlighted serious concerns about financial prudence, implementation efficiency, and transparency in the project, calling it a "classic case of poor planning and mismanagement of public funds". He pointed out that despite central claims of success, residents in Manimajra continued to receive dirty, foul-smelling water for barely 2-4 hours a day. He expressed concern that loan repayments and rising costs could double water tariffs, burdening residents....