By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 13 Apr: Newly appointed State President of the Uttarakhand Congress, Karan Mahra held a press conference at a local hotel today. During the press conference, he denied that that there was any dissidence in the party or that certain Congress MLAs were angry and could leave the party. He said he was in touch with most party MLAs and no one was going anywhere, leaving the party in the lurch.
However, when questioned further, Mahra asserted that it was wrong on any elected MLA’s part to change loyalty, and that being elected as MLA did not turn anyone into a God! The MLAs ought to respect the mandate given to them as Congress MLAs and that behind their win was not only their own hard work but the name of the party and the hard work of the party workers. But after winning the election, if one speaks of defection, then it would be deceiving the general public. Becoming an MLA did not mean one had become a God that the public would continue to stand by even after defection. The public had chosen someone as a party’s MLA by looking at that party’s policies, its senior leadership and not just by looking at the MLA candidate.
Mahra added that there could be some disappointment among party workers and certain leaders because, despite hard work, the party had lost the election. He said that he would work on boosting their morale once again and galvanise them to work harder in the future. He said that the Congress had been given the mandate to be an Opposition party and that it would do its duty and keep the government on its toes. The Congress would expose any wrongdoing by the BJP Government on a continuous basis.
During his press conference, Mahra also launched a scathing attack on the BJP Government. He demanded the resignation of the Cooperatives Minister and a fair inquiry into the allegations of irregularities in appointments at the Cooperative Department and asserted that a fair inquiry was not possible if the minister did not resign.
Although Mahra has been in Dehradun for the past two days, he has so far not assumed formal charge as the new PCC Chief as yet. He will formally take charge on 17 April at the Congress Bhawan, here.
Mahra is a former two-time MLA from Ranikhet consittuency of Almora district. He was defeated in this election. He is considered close to former Chief Minister Harish Rawat and it is said that Rawat has again played a key role in his appointment.
Mahra alleges huge scam in purchase of MRI Machine during Kumbh Mela
By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 13 Apr: Karan Mahra, the newly appointed Congress Chief in Uttarakhand, today, alleged a big scam in the purchase of an MRI Machine during the Kumbh Mela by the Health Department. At a press conference held at a local hotel, he alleged that M/s Boston IVY Healthcare Solution, a Mumbai based company, had indulged in a big scam in the supply of MRI machines to the state health department.
He claimed that an MRI machine worth Rs 3.20 crores had been sold for Rs 9 crores during the Kumbh Mela when the then Chief Minister, Trivendra Singh Rawat, held charge of the Health Department. Mahra stated that the company in question had sold Chinese MRI machines of United Imaging, Shanghai, during the Kumbh Mela and to the Doon Medical College. Machines worth Rs 3.20 crores, each, were sold for Rs 9 crores each.
Mahra alleged further that the officials, in collaboration with this Chinese company, blindly violated all the rules and regulations of the Uttarakhand Procurement Policy to procure this particular machine.
He also cited the provisions of the Uttarakhand Procurement Policy, according to which any machine or equipment being offered in the tender ought to have a record of sales for the past three years and ought to have a record of functioning well during that period. Mahra asserted that, for this, it was also mandatory for the tendering company to give a CA certificate certifying that the machines on offer were being sold in India for the past 3 years. Along with this condition, it was also mandatory to conduct a physical demonstration in the office of the purchaser of the machine or in the hospital where the machines had been installed otherwise the tender would be liable to be rejected.
Mahra claimed that, till that time, this company from China had not installed a single MRI Machine in India but, even so, these conditions were overlooked and the machines procured. Mahra also claimed that companies like Phillips (Regional Manager – Kamal Upreti, and Erbis (Regional Manager Mahesh Sharma) etc., were also among the participants in the tender process and had a record of previous sales in India. They sent a complaint to all the officials citing the rules and regulations under the law, but the officials and the government ignored these deliberately.
If Boston IVY Company had not installed any MRI Machine in India in the past, then the CA certificate could not have been submitted. In which case, how could the machine have been procured? Mahra claimed that Boston IVY was now selling the same model of machine to certain private hospitals in India at Rs 4 crores. He said that any inquiry into the certified copies of GST paid bills of all installations from the company would clearly prove that the machines were sold at Rs 4 crores. Mahra demanded an inquiry into the alleged scam and action against the guilty officials at the Health Directorate and others involved.
