Rishikesh becha, Doon Becha.... Citurgia Biochemicals bhee becha...
Ghumuntu Garhwali
Scandals haunt Uttarakhand Govt again:
Shishir Prashant / New Delhi/ Dehradun March 05, 2011, 0:17 IST
A series of alleged scams have returned to haunt the Uttarakhand government with the Supreme Court today calling for compliance of the High Court order on the Rishikesh housing project.
As a follow-up to the court order, the state government has set up
a judicial commission to investigate the role of some officials, who misled it
in changing the land-use pattern of the industrial land of Mumbai-based
Citurgia Biochemicals to facilitate the project.
A one-member commission under Justice B C Kandpal,
a retired judge of the state High Court (HC) has been formed to investigate the
role of government officials in the issue. Kandpal is also heading the probe
panel formed by the government to investigate 56 alleged scams unearthed during
the previous Congress government.
The Citurgia issue had rocked the hill
state last year after Opposition parties led by Congress sought a Central
Bureau of Investigation probe alleging, the government allowed the housing
project being developed by Sturdia Developers on the industrial land of
Citurgia Bio-chemicals in Rishikesh near river Ganga, violating tough
environmental norms and other rules.
The HC had cancelled the Sturdia housing project
last year on a bunch of petitions and ordered the government to take the land
back from the real estate company. The court had also ordered an inquiry into
the role of some government officials who had misled the government on issues
related with the housing project.
Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has
maintained, the project was allowed according to the recommendations of the
Board of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction which stated that a part of
the sick Citurgia Biochemicals can be sold for its revival.
In another case, the HC has fixed March 25 as the
date of hearing in the case related to cancellation of 56 hydel projects, which
were cancelled after corruption was alleged in allotment process. Former NHPC
and Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited Chairman Yogendra Prasad is likely to
surrender in an alleged corruption case.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/scandals-haunt-uttarakhand-govt-again/427351/