BJP alleges scam in relief distribution

Alleging a scam running into crores of rupees in distribution of relief in disaster-hit Uttarakhand, Opposition BJP said the Vijay Bahuguna government should step down owning moral responsibility for it. Levelling the charges at a press conference here, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Ajay Bhatt said not only were commissions taken for distribution of food kits in some of the affected areas but the kits did not even reach the beneficiaries in the worst-hit Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts.

"The relief kits never reached the people they were meant for but the state government made payments on that account to a favoured firm," Bhatt said.

Bhatt alleged that the state government first entrusted a Rishikesh based firm with the task of distributing 6,000 food kits among the affected people in the three districts at the rate of Rs 620 per kit. An order worth Rs two crore was placed with the firm for the purpose, he said. Meanwhile, a transport firm was also asked by certain officials to supply 25,000 food kits among the affected people at the same rate, the BJP leader claimed adding that the firm was not even asked to submit a quotation. Demanding immediate dismissal of officials involved in

the scam, Bhatt also asked the Bahuguna government to step down owning moral responsibility for the scam in the name of supplying relief to disaster-hit people of the state.

However, state Congress vice-president Suryakant Dhasamana said the opposition leader's charges were completely unfounded, and at a time when he should praise the government for its relief and rehabilitation efforts, it is leveling baseless allegations against it. "If Bhatt felt there was something wrong, he should have demanded an inquiry instead of straightaway asking the state government to step down," the Congress leader said.