Congress MLA raises corruption charges against minister
Kota: Unhappy over delay in maintenance work on national highway NH-27 here, Congress MLA Bharat Singh on Sunday accused a minister in the Gehlot government of corruption and hindering the work.
Singh, who represents Sangod assembly constituency in Kota district, has written a letter to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot alleging corruption in the state's mining department.
In the letter he has requested Gehlot to save the government from the "corrupt people" to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
He also referred to the CM's budget speech in which Gehlot had said his government would work to put an end to "the flowing Ganga of corruption"
The central government wants to repair the highway stretch but the state mining department is raising obstacles, the letter said
He alleged that funds worth Rs 208.54 crore have been sanctioned for maintenance work on NH-27, but an assistant engineer of the mining department in Baran is apparently raising hurdles on the directions of the minister and not issuing the requisite permission letter to the contractor for the maintenance work.
"What honesty is there in a department where its head is already corrupt"?, he said in the letter without naming the minister.
The MLA further said in the letter that the contractor himself has narrated his ordeal to him.
Notably, Pramod Jain Bhaya, the MLA from Anta area of Baran district is the mining minister.
Speaking to PTI on Sunday, Singh said, "The amount has been sanctioned and the work will begin but hindrance is being caused by the minister who should be expediting the work," he said.
He said Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has responded positively for the work but the ground reality is "very unfortunate".
