A BJP delegation headed by the leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, Ajay Bhatt, called on the Governor, Krishan Kant Paul, at the Raj Bhawan in Nainital and demanded a CBI probe into the allegations of major irregularities in the relief works undertaken after the June 2013 disaster. In a memorandum submitted to the Governor, the BJP has stated, “Information procured under the RTI Act had revealed that after the June 2013 disaster when the Kedarnath area was strewn with bodies, stranded survivors and disaster affected people struggling in various parts of the State, officials on relief duty were spending vast amounts of money on hotel-stays and costly non-vegetarian and other dishes.
Hearing on the RTI application in the State Information Commission had revealed that in the worst affected Rudraprayag district a sum of Rs25.19 lakh was spent on the stay and meals of officials on relief duty.” Citing other instances revealed through RTI, the BJP leaders pointed out that milk was purchased at Rs388 per litre; Kapkot Tehsildar reported having distributed Rs12 lakh to disaster victims but there was only one receipt or Rs5,000 given to one disaster victim; bills for diesel filled in motorcycles; diesel bill for a three wheeler was presented whereas three-wheelers are not used in the mountains; fuel bill for the period more than a month before the disaster was also charged in Karnprayag Tehsil; Chamoli district youth welfare and PRD officer presented hotel bills for a month before the disaster; the fuel bill for a private charter helicopter for four days has been shown at Rs98 lakh among other questionable billing.
Citing such anomalies, the Information Commission had also recommended a CBI inquiry suspecting a scam amounting to crores of rupees. The BJP memorandum further stated, “During the budget discussion in the Assembly during March this year, we had raised the issue of financial irregularities in the disaster relief work and relief amount being given to those not eligible for it. The State cabinet later decided to let such ineligible people keep the relief money wrongly given to them by the State, which shows the State’s complicity in the matter. Our concern has been validated by the information revealed through the RTI application. The State Government and bureaucrats have jointly orchestrated this scam. We had raised these corruption issues in the Vidhan Sabha but till date the government has not taken any action which points at the intention of the State.” Stating that a scam in relief work has dented the image of Uttarakhand, the BJP requested the governor to recommend a CBI inquiry into the allegations.