The leader of Opposition Ajay Bhatt alleged that corruption is ruling supreme in the State. For instance, Hero Motocorp was allowed to register their land, which was allocated to them at circle rate of 2006, in 2014.
With this, the State exchequer was made to lose Rs254 crore. When the anomalies involving the compensation allotment among the disaster-affected people came into focus the Cabinet exonerated the accused with alacrity.
Even the City Park was given similar relief and consequently, the state lost Rs41 crore by way of revenue. Although the Finance Minister has claimed in her Budget speech that the State Government has resumed all services like water, electricity and other basic amenities which were destroyed during the 2013 disaster. But the actual status does not corroborate her claim.
In a nutshell, the Budget amounts to jugglery of figures and facts to beguile the people.
He said this while participating in the debate on the State Budget on Tuesday.
Things are such that a junior forest officer has been made DFO Rudraprayag and Assistant Conservator of Forest of Rajaji National Park at the same time.
This is an instance of abysmal Governmental apathy, he said.
This has left the senior forest officers sulking. As we all know both these places are located 200 km away from each other. Maybe, the Chief Minister is unaware of the fact. After listening patiently, CM
Rawat said that though the DFO Rudraprayag was transferred as ACF of Rajaji National Park he was in Rudrarprayag when the disaster struck in 2013.
He was involved in every meeting. Hence he was given the additional charge of Rudraprayag.
Bhatt pitched in at that point, saying that the CM was aware of things. But question is if the person was so much important why was he transferred in the first place, he asked.
Incidentally, the matter was raised by the State BJP president and MlA Teerath Singh Rawat under section 310 of Vidhan Sabha proceedings during Zero Hour.
He alleged that things had happened that way as the DFO’s wife is an active member of Congress.
During the debate, Bhatt also lambasted the media without naming any. The people say we (BJP) are proving mitra vipaksh (friendly Opposition), according to the media reports.
But the fact is that we are serving the State as the constructive Opposition. Whenever things warrant we would not hesitate to grill the treasury bench and expose them, he said.
The people looted the disaster funds, which were supposed to be distributed among the disaster-affected people.
When it was exposed, the Government conducted an inquiry. later, they consigned the recommendation in the cold storage. They even decided to forgive the accused during a Cabinet meeting. The question is why they had done so, Bhatt asked.