Khanduri finds his promises hard to keep

Having assured that he would look into the alleged scandals involving bureaucrats and politicians in the state, Uttarakhand Chief Minister...

Having assured that he would look into the alleged scandals involving bureaucrats and politicians in the state, Uttarakhand Chief Minister B C Khanduri is now finding it difficult to keep his promise.

When campaigning for the Assembly elections, the BJP had highlighted the many scandals that took place under former Chief Minister N D Tiwari8217;s rule. The BJP, in its manifesto, also pledged to go into details and punish the offenders.

After coming to power, Khanduri took close to two months to announce a preliminary inquiry into the 55 8220;scams8221;, which took place during the Congress rule. However, instead of ordering a thorough probe, he asked the departments concerned to send a status report.

While the Chief Minister is still trying to sort out the issues, reports of bungling in the State Industrial Development Corporation SIDCUL and information technology hubs across the state during the Congress rule have surfaced.

It is alleged that there was no transparency when setting up an industrial estate at Sitaganj in Udham Singh Nagar district and a private company was given 1,100 acre of land at a throwaway price to develop the estate. It was further said that the company had been favoured as the price of industrial land in the estate had shot up and the company had earned a huge profit. Also, the relevant files of the corporation have gone missing. Two of the senior IAS officers at the helm of affairs during the period were on deputation and are not posted in the state now.

Similarly, when establishing an IT hub, another private company was given major stakes in the project. The files in this case too are missing.

Although the police raided the SIDCUL office and took away a computer and other documents, the state Government has not yet made up its mind on the course of action. The fear of an adverse impact on the flourishing industrial activity in the state and the involvement of senior officials may have forced the Government to go slow.

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A preliminary inquiry into the 55 scams has forced officials to go into a defensive mode. There is a feeling of fear among the officials and as a result, all development works have come to a standstill.

However, Khanduri has his reasoning. 8220;We will probe the irregularities that took place under the previous Government. But there will be no witch-hunt. I have ordered a preliminary inquiry to know whether there was any misappropriation of Government funds. Any well intentioned work done by any officer will be spared, but those guilty of swindling would be punished,8221; Khanduri said.

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress has condemned the BJP Government of slowing the pace of development in the state. 8220;The negative attitude of the BJP Government has demoralised the bureaucracy and the developmental works have come to a standstill,8221; said Surendra Aggarwal, spokesperson of the Uttarakhand Congress.