U'khand Congress delegation meets governor seeks intervention in massive 'land scam'

Dehradun, Nov 5 (PTI) A delegation from the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee met Governor Dhal Singh Bisen on Thursday and raised several issues with him, including an alleged land scam and a purported multi-crore fraud committed by a minister.

     The 13-member delegation alleged that the state land was being sold at throwaway prices and asked the governor for the return of the properties to their original departments.

     Uttarakhand Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal, Leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya, and former chief minister Harish Rawat were part of the delegation.

     The Congress leaders demanded compliance with court orders regarding the disproportionate assets case involving Minister Ganesh Joshi, an investigation into appointments made in the Cooperative Department during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a probe into MBBS admissions secured allegedly through fake papers.

     The delegation submitted a memorandum to the governor, accusing the Pushkar Dhami government of selling the state's "precious land at dirt-cheap prices and demanded the revocation of these government decisions."

     In its memorandum, the Congress delegation cited Article 154 of the Constitution, which stipulates that the executive power of the state is vested in the governor, and under Article 166, which says that all actions of the state government are carried out in the governor's name, to urge him to summon his powers.

     The delegation said that government orders through which the state land and heritage buildings are being handed over to private entities have been issued with his approval.

     "Therefore, the Governor serves as the constitutional custodian of these state assets," the party said in a statement.

     The Congress leaders also requested Bisen to summon all files pertaining to the George Everest Estate.

     "The lease for the George Everest Estate — which was granted in violation of the rules — be cancelled; and an independent investigation into the entire matter be conducted under the supervision of the High Court," it read.

     They also demanded that all decisions taken unilaterally by the chief minister under the Cabinet resolution of December 20, 2022, as well as all government orders issued pursuant to them, be rescinded.

     The party asked the governor to cancel all three tenders issued for the UIIDB — Patwadangar, Alaknanda Hotel, Haridwar, and the Rishikesh Inspection House.

     Godiyal also brought to the governor's attention an allegation against Minister Rekha Arya, by her own husband, of being involved in a Rs 210-crore scam, which, he said, must be probed by the CBI and the ED.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)