The BJP government in Uttarakhand today stopped payment of around Rs 1.5 crore to singer Kailash Kher's company out of the state's disaster relief fund for making a tourism video.
An order had been issued by the state finance department for payment of 75 per cent of the remaining dues to Kailasa Entertainment Pvt Ltd.
It was withdrawn after intervention by state BJP president Ajay Bhatt who put his foot down, protesting that the money should not be paid to the company out of funds meant for disaster victims.
"Taking cognisance of reports carried in a section of the press here that 75 per cent of the remaining dues had been cleared for Kailash Kher's company out of disaster relief funds I met Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat today. On my intervention the payment has been stopped," Bhatt told PTI.
"Finance Secretary Amit Singh Negi has informed me that the cheque of a sum of nearly Rs 1.5 crore which had been sent to the Rudraprayag District Magistrate for payment to Kailasa Entertainment Pvt Ltd has been withdrawn," he added.
Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat hasalso reprimanded the officials concerned for nottaking the government into confidence before clearingpayment to the firm in question, the BJP leader said.
The video had been made by Kailasa Entertainment Pvt Ltd to promote a message of a safe Uttarakhand after the state's recovery from the massive damages caused by the June 2013 flashfloods.
After the initial payments were made to the company by the previous government led by Harish Rawat out of disaster relief funds, BJP had protested strongly saying it was a misappropriation of funds meant for reconstruction and rehabilitation work.
"BJP fought for five years against misappropriation of funds meant for disaster victims in Uttarakhand and officials of our own party's government were going to do something which was in conflict with our own stand," Bhatt said.
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