Probe Momentum Jharkhand investments: Balmuchu

Rajya Sabha Member and former Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee President, Pradip Kumar Balmuchu today demanded a judicial probe into the investments made by the state government in organising 'Momentum Jharkhand', an investors summit held in February in Ranchi.
"An enquiry should take be conducted by a High Court Judge into the investments made by the state government for the event," Balmuchu said at a press conference held in Tilak Pustkalaya, the Congress Bhawan here.
He said Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das has been talking of "zero tolerance on corruption" but if he is really serious about it he himself should recommend a CBI enquiry into it, the Congress leader said.

Referring to the second ground breaking ceremony of Momentum Jharkhand held at Gopal Maidan here on August 19, Balmuchu said Das should have made public the takeaways from the first edition of the event held in February.
"How much investment the state government succeeded to attract...How many projects were implemented and the total number of employment generated following the February event?, he asked adding, the government should have proceeded for the second ground breaking ceremony only after making the details of the first edition public.
Balmuchu claimed that the second ground breaking ceremony of Momentum Jharkhand was aimed to benefit only the some selected persons close to the chief minister's family members.

The investment proposed to be made by investors in 74 projects at the second ground breaking ceremony was Rs 2,100 crore but none made investments of even Rs 1 crore. The minimum investment was Rs 18 lakh, he said alleging that the employment to be generated out of these projects was also very few.

The investment to be made in sector such as bakery, sweet making, agro-food etc and the investors were allotted land worth over Rs 1.5 crore, he alleged.
The state government had invested Rs.500 crore for the Ranchi event and of that Rs 100 crore was spent for the chief minister's pre-event tour to various states across the country as well as abroad to woo investors.

When asked to comment on the allegations, Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar said the investments were part of Momentum Jharkhand.
"The focus of the state government was to attract investment in sectors including medium, small and cottage industries and generate employment opportunities," he said. adding, the details of investment made in the second ground breaking ceremony here has already been made public.
As far as cost of land was concerned, he said it depends on the circle it belonged to.
Balmuchu said several industrial units including Tayo Ltd, a Tata venture, have been closed here but no steps were taken to revive the sick/closed industries, which had provided employment to more than thousand people.

Such approach of the government simply indicated which way the mineral-rich state was heading, he apprehended. Reacting on a recent statement of Das that malnutrition has been inherited by his government from the previous governments, Balmuchu said ever since separate Jharkhand statehood was formed 17 years ago, BJP ruled it for 15 years. Even if the opposition was responsible for malnutrition in the state, what step BJP-led governments had taken to curb it, he asked while mentioning 332 death of children due to malnutrition in various hospitals of the state since July including M G M Hospital here.
The chief minister did not mention his line of action post-malnutrition death of children, he said.

About government's zero tolerance on corruption claim, Balmuchu said the corruption in Jharkhand has reached such an extent today that the bureaucrats and cabinet ministers themselves have started raising the issue in public.
Referring the statements of recently ousted Director of Rajendra Institute Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi and Food, Civil Supply and Consumer Affair Minister Saryu Roy, he said while the ousted Director of RIMS admitted non-payment of commission as the reason behind his removal, Roy questioned the illegal mining activities taking place in Jhatijharna under Ghatsila sub-division of his home district East Singhbhum.