A few days after a matter of alleged financial irregularities in the 2013 disaster surfaced, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, who have been asking for a CBI probe into the case, have planned to gherao Chief Minister Harish Rawat’s residence on June 10.
On May 30, Chief Minister Harish Rawat instructed Uttarakhand Chief Secretary N. Ravi Shanker to set up an enquiry into the matter of financial irregularities that had come to the fore through responses to Right to Information queries.
Many BJP leaders voiced their disagreement to Mr Harish Rawat’s decision of getting the matter probed by the State’s Chief Secretary instead of the CBI.
Uttarakhand BJP president Tirath Singh Rawat, while addressing the media on Wednesday, said: “The Uttarakhand government must get the matter probed by the CBI. The matter is about alleged financial irregularities by the State government officials and we cannot expect a fair enquiry when one State government official [Chief Secretary] probes the matter.”
According to the information attained in response to the RTI queries, some State government officials who were assisting rescue and relief operations during the 2013 Uttarakhand disaster had claimed over Rs.7,500 per day for hotel stay, Rs.194 for a half litre milk, paid Rs.98 lakh to a helicopter company for fuel purchase, paid relief to same people more than once, purchased 1,800 raincoats from the same store for three days.
