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Ajoy Kumar
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Jamshedpur MP Ajoy Kumar has accused chief minister Arjun Munda of pressuring Tata Steel to stall installation of solar street lights in East Singhbhum district, a project partly funded from his local area development (MPLAD) fund.
“This is the first instance when a chief minister has stooped to such a low to settle political scores by pressurising corporate groups to stop assistance to a project that would have benefited rural folks,” the told journalists at Circuit House on Monday.
The project, estimated to cost Rs 9.2 crore, was to be implemented over two years with the MP contributing Rs 1.2 crore and Tata Steel contributing Rs 3 crore. The remaining cost was to be borne by Tata Trust.
The plan is to install solar lights in all 1,600 villages of East Singhbhum and also in the outskirts of Jamshedpur city. Two solar powered CFL street lights were to be installed at a central location in each village with Tata BP Solar as technology partner.
So far, only 300 lights have been installed so far.
The MP claimed he had written over 10 letters to the chief minister, but Munda was yet to reply. “When I spoke to him on October 4 over telephone, Munda said tribal affairs minister Champai Soren had raised certain objections. I fail to understand what problem can crop up in a project implemented with MPLAD funds,” he asked.
Kumar had written to Parliament privilege committee chairman P.C. Chacko and Lok Sabha Speaker Meera Kumar in October for moving a privilege motion against Munda for hindering the project undertaken with MPLAD funds.
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