PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
Uttarakhand Congress has raised questions on alleged lack of transparency and conflict of interest in awarding the contract of construction of the approach road of the Nanda Ki Chowki Bridge on River Tons in Dehradun. The chief spokesperson of the State unit of the party Garima Dasauni has said the Rs 16 crore approach road, the portion of which caved in on July 28 was allegedly constructed by a company in which BJP Mahila Morcha president Ruchi Bhatt is a stakeholder.
In a statement, Dasauni said that the available documents show that Ruchi Bhatt holds 25 per cent stake in M/s Himalayan Construction Company. She said that many questions such as, does Ruchi Bhatt had informed her party or the department concerned about possible conflict of interest in view of her political position?
She said that the government should also inform about the name of the company that was awarded the construction of the approach road of the Nanda Ki Chowki Bridge and its tender process.
“The BJP constantly accuses the Congress of nepotism but now it should explain what its own government is practicing. Is it not true that those connected to power are getting government contracts?’’ she asked.
Dasauni demanded that an independent and high-level technical investigation should be conducted into the Nanda Ki Chowki project and added that instead of mere superficial repairs, it should be found out why the soil beneath the approach road was washed away and whether the prescribed standards were followed in the construction or not.
