NRHM scam: Contractor may turn approver

With Khan becoming an approver in the case,the CBI is set to tighten noose around some ex-ministers including those in Samajwadi Party and BSP governments. Besides,over two dozen ex-Health & Family welfare CMOs who had served in districts like Deoria,Gorakhpur,Maharajganj,Kushinagar,Jaunpur,Ghazipur,Varanasi,Shravasti,Bahraich,Gonda and Balrampur have also been found guilty for their involvement in the financial irregularities,confirmed CBI sources.

CBI sources said the details collected so far and interrogation of the staff of Health & Family Welfare Directorates revealed that Khan,a native of Ghazipur district,began his business with Health Directorate in 1990. He was known to have close links with mafia don Mukhtar Ansari,who made threatening calls to health officials and the rival contractors in favour of Khan.

Khan became the leading contractor since NRHM was introduced in UP in 2005. He has been undertaking contracts of construction of Community and Primary Health Centres and supply of medicines and surgical equipment.

Sources said Khan has admitted that during SP government,Mukhtari Ansari used to arrange contracts for him and he used to pay him in return. Health Directorate officials and the CMOs knew about his links with Ansari and could never ignore him. After the BSP came to power in 2007,Khan struck a deal with his rival contractor Mahendra Pandey,who was allegedly close to then Health Minister Anant Mishra. While Khan remained confined to the contracts related to construction and renovation work of hospitals,Pandey used to get contracts of supply of medicines and equipment.

But things changed in Khan’s favour,sources said,after Babu Singh Kushwaha got NRHM responsibility. Mukhtar Ansari introduced Khan to Kushwaha’s close associate,MLA Ram Prasad Jaiswal,who influenced the decisions regarding NRHM contracts,CBI sources said.

Khan is learnt to have got his statement recorded with the CBI,explaining the modus operandi of procuring the contracts and the amount paid against each of the contracts to the concerned CMOs. Khan has also given details about the close associates of ex-ministers Anant Mishra,Kushwaha and MLA Jaiswal who allegedly had earned huge money by helping private firms in procuring contracts at exorbitant rates.

Sources also said that Khan admitted to having used his influence for getting people of his choice posted as CMOs in various districts. The CBI has been interrogating Khan since a search was conducted at his residence and office of his firm — M/S Sewa Enterprises — after registering four fresh cases into the NRHM scam case on February 24.