An Assembly panel will probe how the BJP-led government of Raghubar Das allotted the Rs 79.33 crore work to broaden and strengthen a road to a Chhattisgarh company, Agrawal Global Infratech, which had no experience in handling projects of this kind.
Former CM Das has his roots in Chhattisgarh.
On Wednesday, minister Badal Patralekh promised in the Assembly a panel probe while replying to questions of BJP-rebel-turned Independent MLA Saryu Roy on the matter.
Roy, who left the BJP before last year’s Assembly polls after feeling slighted by Das and other party members when denied a poll ticket, contested as an Independent and defeated Das from Jamshedpur (East).
Roy told the House on Wednesday that he was not satisfied with how the road project went to the “inexperienced” Chhattisgarh firm.
Roy had asked that how the work to broaden and strengthen the Hunterganj-Pandeypur Pratappur Road, involving Rs 79.33 crore, was awarded in March 2017 to a company which came into existence in January 2017. The government’s official reply was that the company had been a proprietary firm since November 9, 1994, and only its form had changed in January 2017.
The department of road construction said the matter was sub judice before high court and government would take a proper decision in the matter after a court order, Roy added.
“The court did find irregularities in the allotment of work order but the government filed a review petition. However, the court has so far given no order on the review petition,” Roy pointed out in the House.
The Independent MLA added that the role of the advocate-general, the prime mover behind the review petition, was also “doubtful”, indicating without saying so that he was Das’s man.
“The company (Agrawal Global Infratech) belongs to a person in whose hotel, Clark Inn, an influential person of the state hosted his son’s marriage,” Roy added.
MLAs Bandhu Tirkey and Pradeep Yadav, both of the erstwhile JVM, and staunch critics of the BJP who joined the Congress the day their former party chief Babulal Marandi joined the BJP, supported Roy, saying the matter was serious and the real story behind the allotment of the order should come out.
Tirkey said a matter of corruption related to him was also sub judice but the former BJP government had ordered an ACB probe against him. “If a probe can be ordered in my case why not in this case,” Tirkey said.
As Patralekh promised a probe by an Assembly panel, BJP legislators accused the JMM-Congress-RJD government of a “vengeful attitude”.
Displacement panel
Chief minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday promised justice for the displaced in Barkagaon, while replying to a call attention notice of MLA Amba Prasad. Hemant said that displacement was a major issue in Jharkhand and the state government would settle all issues with a displacement commission. Amba had wanted to know when the government would pay compensation to those displaced by the NTPC in her area.
Engraving on hearts
Health minister Banna Gupta, during a debate on the health department’s demand for a grant of Rs 4,572 crore, told the House on Wednesday that the government, instead of engraving names of big infrastructure projects on plaques, will engrave its name in the hearts of people by running medical colleges, hospitals and health centres well.
CAA protest row
BJP MLAs bringing adjournment motion in the House on Wednesday demanded a discussion on the alleged attack on tribal children and women on March 16 by protesters at the sit-in against CAA at Kadru’s “Shaheen Bagh”.
Speaker R.N. Mahato dismissed the demand after parliamentary affairs minister Alamgir Alam promised action in the matter.