Centre will seek details of Uttarakhand flood scam: R.S. Prasad

Union Minister for Communication and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday said that the Centre would initiate an inquiry into the Uttrakhand flood scam after getting all details.

"We shall find out details and then investigation shall be thought about," Prasad said while addressing a press conference.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand's Information Commissioner Anil Kumar Sharma said that the scam looks serious and added that a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry has been recommended to Chief Minister Harish Rawat.

"Looks serious, false bills for lodging, fuel etc. have been found.

The exact data is not here, but this issue should be investigated. Prima facie this looks like a huge scandal. There is a helicopter bill of 98 lakhs for four days, there is no name or number of helicopter.

The construction work has ended before starting. We have recommended a CBI inquiry to the Chief Minister," Sharma told ANI in Dehradun.

Right to Information Act (RTI) activist Bhupender Kumar on his part said that the people who went to provide relief work have indulged in this scam.

"People didn't have food to eat. Administrative bills of high amounts have come to light. Re-construction work bills are dated before the disaster actually struck. I think it's the people, who went to provide

relief work have indulged in this scam," he said.

According to reports, during the 2013 disaster in Uttarakhand, when lakhs of people went hungry, officials of the state government were busy utilizing Rs. 7000 per day allowance given to them for

supervising relief efforts.

When the state was struggling for two meals in a day, the officials had a normal day diet of mutton chops, chicken, milk and cottage cheese

An RTI reply has revealed a scam in the allowance claims made by the officials involved in the rescue and relief works.