UP minister demolishes rented shops,gets notice

Pandit Singh had to resign as MoS for Revenue on October 12 last year after he allegedly forced his way into the residence of the Gonda CMO in the middle of the night,virtually abducted him,got his office opened,and tried to force him to change the list of AYUSH doctors who had been selected for contractual appointment under NRHM. On February 7,he was reinducted in the ministry.

The shops he has now demolished were situated in Raj Narain Pandey Market owned by the Nagarpalika Parishad. These were given on rent to Pandit Singh on January 17,2005,during the previous SP regime. Behind the market,Pandit Singh has constructed a big shopping complex. To ensure a passage to his shopping complex,he reportedly got the two shops demolished.

Rupesh Kumar Srivastava alias Nirmal,chairman of the Nagarpalika Parishad,said he had received a complaint from local traders about the demolition. “We conducted an inquiry,the revenue inspector and nazool official both were sent to the spot for inspection. They clearly stated in their report that two shops,number 31 and 32,had been demolished,the debris cleared and a road constructed,” Rupesh said.

The Parishad chairman said the shops in the market had been given on rent to traders,including Pandit Singh,and they could not sell,sublet or demolish these. “Everything is written in the agreement and Pandit Singh had signed it,” he said.

After the inspection,the Nagarpalika Parishad,through its legal consultant K N Srivastava,sent a notice to Pandit Singh on March 2.Pandit Singh has been given one month’s time to complete the construction. He admitted that he had received the notice,but denied having done anything wrong. “These two shops were allotted to me in 2005,I have been regularly paying the rent and there is no outstanding amount against me. There was pressure from the public for giving a passage. I have not violated any rules as the shops were mine,” Pandit Singh asserted.