Showing zero tolerance against corruption, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath suspended a senior IAS officer and Invest UP CEO Abhishek Prakash.
Prakash, a 2006 batch, who was the district magistrate of Lucknow in the past, was suspended on the charges of bribery.
Sources here said the action was taken after it was found that the officer, through his employee, sought 5% commission from an industrialist for setting up a solar plant in the state.
Recently, an industrialist complained to chief Minister Yogi Adityanath about a demand of bribery to set up a solar plant. The project file was allegedly held by the IAS officer, who demanded bribe for clearing it. It is reported that the employee has confessed before the police about the commission demanded by Abhishek Prakash.
A departmental inquiry has been ordered against the IAS officer Abhishek Prakash was serving as the secretary of the Department of Industrial Development and as CEO of Invest UP.
Earlier also, Prakash was alleged for a Rs 20 crore scam in the land allotment in the Defence Corridor in Lucknow node.
What is the case?
The action was taken following a complaint by Vishwajit Dutt, who said that his company – SAEL Solar P6 Private Limited – applied to set up plant of solar cell and solar energy related parts in Uttar Pradesh.
“For that, we had sent the application form to the Invest UP office and online. A meeting of the evaluation committee was held in this regard,” he said.
According to Vishwajit Dutt, before considering their proposal, a senior officer of Invest UP asked him to talk to a private person, Nikant Jain.
The senior officer said that Jain will help in expediting the approvals from empowered committee and the cabinet.
CM Yogi took cognisance
Dutt said that Nikant Jain demanded bribery amounting to five per cent of the total project cost for getting the approvals.
“My owner had met the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister for this project, so we refused Nikant. Later I came to know that the case was held up even after recommendation,” the complainant said.
Dutt said that after the episode, Nikant told him the project will get through only when they (Dutt and his owner) work through him (Jain).
“We registered complaints in this case and wrote that the owned can shift the project to other state if action is not taken against the corruption. The chief minister took the cognisance and suspended senior IAS sending a strong message.
Vivek Shukla is a management graduate who has worked in corporate worked for 20 years and is now pursuing his passion — news.
