UP sugar mills probe to rely on CAG report

The report of the CAG on the sale of 21 sugar mills when the Bahujan Samaj Party was in power in Uttar Pradesh will be the basis of the lokayukta probe into alleged irregularities and corruption in the sale process. Rajesh Kumar Singh reports.

The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the sale of 21 sugar mills when the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was in power in Uttar Pradesh will be the basis of the lokayukta probe into alleged irregularities and corruption in the sale process. The state cabinet ordered the probe on November 6.

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Talking to HT, lokayukta justice (retd) NK Mehrotra said, "Since the CAG has done an audit of the mills of the UP State Sugar Corporation Limited, I have sought a copy of the audit report. I have also urged the state government to issue a notification for the lokayukta probe."

A senior state government officer said, "A majority of the sugar mills went to liquor baron Gurdeep Singh Chadha alias Ponty Chadha who was perceived to be close to BSP supremo Mayawati."

The ombudsman is also probing corruption and disproportionate assets cases against former ministers of the BSP government as well as irregularities in the construction of memorials and parks and auction of farmhouses in Noida.