To The Honorable Prime Minister of India, New Delhi -110011 Demanding CBI probe OF THE LOKTAK LAKE CLEAN-UP SCAM, And Memorandum thereof. Honorable sir, Most respectfully I, the undersigned, on behalf of the people of Manipur, beg you to submit this memorandum relating to the Rs 224 crores Loktak Lake clean-up scam for your kind attention and philanthropic appropriate actions. That on 6th January 2010,Honourable Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh handed over ceremonial keys of Rs 224 crores Loktak Lake clean-up Project to the representatives of K-Pro Infra Works Private Ltd. which has a Delhi address as Flat no.A.104, Plot no.29( New Friends Apartment ) sector 6, Dwarka to clean-up 132.94 lakh cubic metres of Phumdis’ – the local name for the thick biomass that has been filling up the largest fresh water lake in the northeast, around 40 km from Imphal, the capital of Manipur. That K-Pro Infra Works Private Ltd. was registered only on June 22, 2009 and has a paid-up capital of just Rs 10 lakh, it must be asked how the “company” managed to buy dredgers costing Rs 40 lakh each. A press release of the Loktak Development Authority (LDA) claims that K Pro Works Private Limited (the word ‘Infra’ dropped) is a joint venture with Progressive Constructions Limited which posted a gross turnover of Rs 1019.91 during 2007-08. THE OTHER puzzle is that while Ibobi Singh cut the red ribbon on January 6, the on-paper process of cleaning up the lake had started nearly two years ago. This was the same period — spanning 2008-09 — when the Planning Commission made a Special Plan Assistance (SPA) of Rs 25 crore to Manipur for “conservation and management of Loktak Lake and associated wetlands”. In the progress report submitted to the Planning Commission, the Project Director of Loktak Development Authority (LDA), Thounaojam Ibobi Singh, claimed that Rs 16.5 crore was given to K Pro Infra Works Pvt Ltd as “mobilisation advance” for phumdi management. That, the lie is easily nailed. For again, how can a contract be given in financial year 2008-09 (that ends on March 31, 2009) to a company that was founded in June 2009? The final Utilisation Certificate issued by LDA shows that, in all, Rs 17.8 crore has so far been spent on phumdi, water and project management and administration; and the remaining Rs 7.2 crore on conservation and the management of Loktak Lake and associated wetlands. That, On November 20, 2009, DS Poonia, Chief Secretary in the Manipur government, had sought an additional Rs 65 crore for the project from the Planning Commission under the Special Plan Assistance 2009-10. Sarvan Kumar, Director, Special Plan-North East at the Planning Commission and It also confirmed that the said amount had sanctioned. That, all the paper trails and local media reports point strongly at the possibility of a major scam brewing in Imphal. Interestingly PCL is founded and controlled by Congress MP from Andhra Pradesh, K Sambasiva Rao. In April 2010, PCL was named in the list of companies in a report prepared by the Institutional Integrity Unit of the World Bank on “fraudulent and corrupt” practices by private Indian contractors working on national highway projects funded by it. LDA Project Director claims that PCL had sufficient equipment and manpower to take on the lake project. And there is also some sources reveal that K-Pro Infra Pvt. Works Pvt. Ltd was founded by the one relative of the present Chief Minister of Manipur Shri. O. Ibobi Singh. That a probe or investigation into the implementation of the project by a competent Central agency, most particularly by the C.B.I, is highly necessary to find the accountabilities of the scam. I, therefore, on behalf of the people of Manipur and with allegiance to the Constitution of India, humbly pray and urge your goodself to kindly intervene the appropriate administrative action for probing the scandal by the C.B.I. during your visit in Imphal. With warm regards, Yours’ faithfully, Isan Chandam Secretary General Students League Manipur.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 03:29:12 +0000
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