BSP memorial scam: Two held for flouting mining norms

LUCKNOW: The vigilance department arrested two more persons on Monday morning in connection with the Rs 4,200-crore alleged scam involving construction of memorials in Lucknow and Noida during the Mayawati-led BSP government in the state.
The arrested persons have been identified as Kishori Lal and Ramesh Kumar of Mirzapur.
Vigilance officials said that the accused, who are contractors, had formed a consortium of mining lease holders in violation of norms and sold quarried stone after pocketing hefty commissions. So far, 20 people have been arrested in connection with the scam which is being probed since 2013.
The inquiry was initiated after a Lokayukta probe indicted 199 persons, including then BSP ministers Naseemuddin Siddiqui and Babu Singh Kushwaha and 12 BSP MLAs, in the case. Siddiqui has now joined the Congress. The officials said that the arrested lease holders were given contracts for sandstone, bending all rules and regulations.
A source privy to the probe disclosed that while 29 stone-cutting machines were installed in Mirzapur it was shown in papers that stones were taken to Rajasthan for carving out designs, making a budget of crores in the process. “The lease was given after fixing a higher price. A firm of an engineer of UP Rajkiya Nirman Nigam (UPRNN) involved in the project was arbitrarily handed over crores of rupees,” an official said, adding that more UPRNN officials are under scanner for irregularities.
The vigilance department had filed the first chargesheet in the memorial scam in October 2020. It had named six persons, identified as geology and mining joint director Suhail Ahmad Farooqui, then UP UPRNN unit in charge Ajay Kumar, consortium head Pannalal Yadav, Ashok Singh and Hoshiyar Singh, said a vigilance official.
The enforcement directorate had also registered a case under PMLA in the memorial scam and had raided premises of six engineers and contractors in Lucknow. The ED is simultaneously conducting a probe into sale and purchase of sandstone and marbles executed by engineers and contractors by laundering public money.