Lalu influenced Patna zoo soil deal, says Sushil Modi
The BJP leader said soil worth Rs 90 lakh was purchased by the zoo for construction of a pathway without floating any tender.
PATNA: Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi has alleged irregularities in the purchase of soil for beautification of the zoological park here and urged chief minister Nitish Kumar to get the deal probed.
Talking to newsmen on the sidelines of his Janata Darbar here on Tuesday, Modi claimed that the soil worth Rs 90 lakh was purchased by the zoo for construction of a pathway from MS Enterprises without floating any tender.
He claimed that the soil was lifted from a site at Saguna Mor where Patna’s biggest mall is coming up. Modi said the family of RJD chief Lalu Prasad was associated with the mall while his son Tej Pratap Yadav was minister of environment and forest, which controlled the zoo.
Modi said the soil was transported to the zoo even after the sunset. “As per rules, such activities can’t be carried out in a zoo after sunset,” he added.
The BJP leader demanded a detailed probe into the matter and said the investigation should look into all the aspects of soil purchase deal, including the necessity of the beautification work.
The RJD chief, however, hit back saying he was ready for a “full probe by anyone, anytime”.
“Neither I, nor anyone from my family is in any way associated with the deal. You can probe it. Show us the evidence. These allegations are all false and baseless,” Prasad said, adding that that he supplied cow dung to the zoo free of cost. “It is a joke to say my family profited from it,” he said.
Zoo director Nand Kishore also refuted the allegation of the BJP leader and said soil was purchased from MS Enterprise as per norms. The deal had nothing to do with any political leader, he added.