MP govt demands over ₹6 cr from scheduled caste dept for Gwalior function

In the letter signed on April 6 by the state transport commissioner, it has requested to allot 80% i.e. Rs. 4.94 crore of the total estimated required fare amount of ₹6.18 crore, in advance

Updated on: Apr 9, 2023, 13:19:14 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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The Madhya Pradesh transport department has demanded over ₹6 crore from the state’s tribal welfare and scheduled caste (SC) department to arrange 2,500 buses for a government-organised to observe Baba Saheb Ambedkar Jayanti to be held on April 16 in Gwalior.

Madhya Pradesh transport department (Facebook Photo)

In a letter, SK Jha, state transport commissioner, said, “As many as one lakh participants and followers from eight districts of Gwalior and Chambal division will participate in the programme. 2,500 buses will be required for travel arrangements of one lakh followers. The required fare amount for the buses is evaluated to be ₹6.18 crore.”

In the letter signed on April 6, it has requested to allot 80% i.e. Rs. 4.94 crore of the total estimated required fare amount of ₹6.18 crore, in advance.

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“It was a common practice that is being followed by the transport department to arrange buses for a government programme but the internal order between two departments was leaked deliberately to create controversy,” said a transport department official.

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress attacked the (Bharatiya Janata Party) BJP-led state government for gathering crowds for a government-organised function, reportedly to be held for the party workers and leaders.

Hitting out at the BJP, MP Congress Committee spokesperson KK Mishra said the BJP claimed that the party workers and supporters are to join the programme held by the state government, however, the letter from the transport department indicates that the BJP is instead gathering crowds on government funding.

Transport commissioner Jha refused to comment on this.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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