No evidence of irregularity in soil purchase from Lalu’s family plot: Government
Patna,(BiharTimes): Chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh on Friday said that no evidence of any irregularity was prima facie found during the scrutiny of the documents related to the purchase of soil from the land plot belonging to the family of RJD chief Lalu Prasad.
Former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi had repeatedly alleged that the Patna Zoo purchased the soil from the land near Saguna More, where a mall is being built.
As reported the chief secretary had on April 6 called for the files and documents related to the soil purchase from the environment and forest department.
According to the chief secretary the soil was of only around Rs nine lakh, not Rs 90 lakh. The total expenditure involved in the earth-filling work at the Zoo was worth Rs 41 lakh.
He said the soil supplier firm has claimed that the consignments came from five different places. Further information has been sought from the forest department. It has also been directed to do an independent inquiry into the sources of the soil.
On the other hand Sushil Modi refuted Singh’s claims stating that a chief secretary cannot give an adverse report against a minister. If the bureaucrat cannot see a scam in the documents, he should make all the documents public.
He asked why the chief secretary chose not to explain the Zoo’s decision to buy soil without floating tenders. The chief secretary also did not explain the justification of making this soil purchase with the interest money of the Bihar Wildlife Conservation Fund.
