State BJP President Teerath Singh Rawat alleged on Thursday that Harish Rawat Government is working under the dictates of mafias — mining, land and liquor. The chief secretary Rakesh Sharma is neck deep in corruption as he has given mining lease to the contractors to mine the river belt. Nothing can better prove the fact that the State Government is patronizing these mafias than the involvement of the state’s CS in the mining racket, he said. He demanded the mining scam be investigated through SIT or an agency based outside the state. If the State Government fails to comply they would approach Delhi in future, he warned.
On the one hand, the State Government is claiming that they have taken all preventive measures to check illegal mining. On the other, they are allowing the mafias to mine illegally in several areas like in Kalsi, Vikasnagar, Bajpur (Udhamsinghnagar) and Haridwar.
Rawat alleged that the mining lease, which was allotted to the mining mafia, bore the signatures of the Patwari concerned, SDM and principal secretary Rakesh Sharma. Principal secretary Mining Rakesh Sharma, who is still holding the department despite being the chief secretary of the state, has given the lease order to a third party, thus denting into the state’s exchequer, the BJP leader said.
State BJP president further alleged that currently, the State Government is being run by two persons- Chief Minister Harish Rawat and chief secretary Rakesh Sharma. Sharma has given the land to the third party through agreement. The lease order was given to a minister’s near and dear ones based in Kalsi, Vikasnagar and Bajpur, he said. But he declined to divulge the name of the minister, saying he is under threat.
He further alleged that the mining mafias are extricating minerals that are being transported in over 300 trucks daily. By doing this, they are not just endangering environment but robbing the state coffers of the due. BJP demands a through inquiry by a special investigation team (SIT) or an agency based outside the state, the state BJP president said. “We can hardly entrust things to the State Government run agencies in view of the seriousness of the matter,” he added.