THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi, June 15: BJP MP Deepak Prakash today demanded a CBI probe into the scam in organising the Asian Women’s Hockey Championship in Ranchi last year.
Deepak Prakash, the former BJP state president, accused the sports department, headed by JMM’s Hafizul Hasaan, and senior bureucrats of indulging in corruption and favouring its favourite vendors leading to a huge loss of the public exchequer.
The sports event was held from October 27 to November 5, 2023.
The BJP leader said that the fresh scam committed to organising an international sports event has tarnished the image of Jharkhand further and urged Chief Minister Champai Soren to order a CBI probe immediately.
Scam reports have tarnished Jharkhand’s image
Prakash said that the scam reports appearing in various newspapers are disturbing and suggest that the JMM-led government is neck-deep in corruption.
“Yahan har shakh pe ullu baitha hai, anjame Gulistan kya hoga.( Just one owl was enough to cause havoc. Here, an owl is sitting on every branch,” he mused.
“It is ironic that, on the one hand, the Indian women’s team was waving its flag on the field, on the other hand, the Sports Department was also creating a new chapter of administrative and financial irregularities on government papers,” he alleged.
Rs 1.4 crore for dinner of 550 VVIPs/VIPs
Prakash said it is now in the public domain that the government spent Rs 1.4 crore on the dinner of 550 VVIP/VIP guests and their servants. During the “Bada Bhoj” organized in the JAP 1 campus, apart from international women and men hockey players, ministers, senior officials, officials of Hockey India/Hockey Jharkhand, security personnel and drivers of VVIP/VIP were also present.
Bungling in processing tenders
He alleged that the work was allotted arbitrarily changing the financial documents of several vendors and declaring them as L1.
“There was also a scam in the name of the vehicles in which the domestic and foreign guests travelled during the event,” he pointed out.
“In the bill submitted by the agency, it demanded payment of Rs 6,49,504 for diesel used in 27 vehicles. After this, it has also collected GST at the rate of 5 per cent on Rs 6,49,504 for diesel by submitting 27 bills,” he said.
“Now, the agencies are submitting apology letters for furnishing fake bills to save the skin of the minister and officers. It is ridiculous and aimed at destroying the evidence of corruption,” he alleged.
