Questioning the State Government’s zero-tolerance towards corruption, the leader of opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, Indira Hridayesh alleged that major corruption is being orchestrated in the sale of liquor in the State. She also demanded that an inquiry be conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the social welfare department’s failure to disburse Rs 2,000 crore in scholarships.
Addressing the media in the Vidhan Sabha, Hridayesh said that the State has stooped down to selling liquor through vans and shacks despite the continued protest by the public. “I was informed about the latest Supreme Court order which states that the highway liquor ban is not applicable to bars and outlets within municipal limits. The State Government should observe this order and relocate the liquor shops from residential areas to the main roads as is being demanded by the people. However, the state government has totally failed and has mired the liquor business in corruption. Apart from this, the social welfare department has not paid about Rs 2,000 crore in scholarships during the past 10 years. Since the truth has not come out in departmental inquiry, we demand that a CBI probe be conducted into this matter. Regarding the demand for a CBI probe into the national highway 74 scam, we have been told that the Central Government is not in favour of this scam being investigated by the CBI as it would implicate officials of the National Highways Authority of India. This deflates the stance of the Central and State governments against corruption.”
Regarding the suicide of farmers in the state, the leader of opposition said that the government had neither paid compensation to the bereaved families nor had it waived off the loans or interest to be paid by the farmers in dire straits. “During the elections the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised that steps would be taken to improve the lot of farmers but neither the centre nor the state have done anything in this direction. The farmers were duped. Apart from this, what about the prime minister’s promise of providing employment for the jobless youthIJ What has the State Government done to facilitate employment and address the major issue of unemployment faced in UttarakhandIJ Furthermore, the state’s municipal corporations are unable to manage civic facilities in towns but the State Government wants to expand the area under them by merging rural areas with them. However, the housing and urban development secretary has stated that first the civic facilitation will be systematised in the city before the authorities consider expansion of municipal limits. Another major issue has been brought to the fore again by the recent disaster at Malpa in Pithoragarh where some of the victims’ bodies are yet to be found. The government seems to have no system in place to tackle such situations. There is no idea about where the disaster victims of Malpa will be resettled. The state government needs to clarify its policy for dealing with such disaster scenarios in the border villages of the state,” said the leader of opposition. She further alleged that corruption was being orchestrated in the cooperatives sector too in Uttarakhand. She said that she had come to know of a case which she would also present in the Vidhan Sabha, wherein a person who had been given a loan of Rs four crore had signed on the roads in an area as guarantee.
The Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Pritam Singh opined that there was total lack of coordination in the State Government. He referred to the recent altercation between supporters of two cabinet ministers in Haridwar and said that there are examples of the ministers and MlAs spreading disorder, stressing that the law should be allowed to act as required to address such situations. Stating that the Government had failed to bring a strong lokayukta as promised, he also questioned the decision for formation of a commission to address corruption .