In an interesting turn of event, Ram Sahai and Gudda, alleged driver and woman friend of Mining Minister, Gyatri Prajapati, refused to give any details sought from them by lokayukta Justice (retd) NK Mehrorta, and instead questioned his `authority’ of making such move. In a reply to Mehrotra’s notice, Gudda, who did not turned up to record her reply, had asked Mehrotra that under what authority he was seeking details about her property and even accused the ombudsman of defaming by serving notices at her residence.
She also questioned Mehrotra and asked to tell her that who is Gyatri Prajapati IJ Similarly, the driver, Ram Sahai too questioned Mehrotra that under which authority he was seeking details about property from him. It may be mentioned that recently Income Tax Department confirmed that Ram Sahai had procured eight properties worth over Rs 77 lakh in last two years but had not filed any return in the above period.
In another development, half a dozen engineers of lucknow Development Authority turned up before Mehrotra and disclosed that Bhinga House, in their record of 2000 belongs in the name of Raja Bhinga and Rajmata Bhinga and that the duo had get the constructing map cleared in the name of their company in the same year. However, they did not clear any of the query of Mehrota, that in whose name it was at present, who cleared the map for construction, and who are the persons engaged in construction work. Similarly, lDA engineers also not replies to Mehrotra’s query regarding land in Hariyarpur in Gomati Nagar extension. Mehrotra, later asked the lDA engineers to make him available about the above queries by Tuesday.
On Monday, the former mining officer of Sonebhadra, AK Sen and chief survey officer, DK Sharma, also appeared before Mehrotra and denied allegations made on them regarding illegal mining. They claimed that it was Ram Nath Yadav, senior survey officer of Sonebhadra who was engaged in illegal mining and that they shifted Yadav to Billi Markundi and attached him with office to check illegal mining. It may be mentioned that Ram Nath accused the two officers that they were indulged in illegal mining and that some politicians, journalists and government officials were hand-in-glove with the two officer to facilitate illegal trade in the district.
Meanwhile social activist, Nutan Thakur, who already filed a complaint against mining minister Gyatri Prajapati, had claimed that one more witness gave evidences which pointed that allegations already made by her against the minister were true. She claimed that one more witness, archaeologist Mukesh Mishra, appeared before lokayukta Justice (retd) N K Mehrotra and confirmed about illegal mining and Prajapati’s role in it.
According to Thakur, the witness Mutkesh said that he has personally seen large scale illegal mining in present minister’s tenure in Bargad valley, Dashrath valley of Chitrakoot distrist along with lauriyandayi, Risiyan, Devipur, Prithvipur, Manikpur, Pahadi, Hanumandhara in Ramnagar and Mau blocks , with hundreds of trucks and labourers engaged in illegal mining. Mishra said that the local people openly said that the illegal mining was being undertaken under the Minister’s direct patronage. He also requested the lokayukta to save the archaeological sites from destruction through these illegal mining.