Cracks in newly openedGkp link e-way expose corruption: Akhilesh
2
Lucknow: The first spell of monsoon rains has exposed cracks in Rs 7000 crore Gorakhpur Link Expressway which speaks volumes of rampant corruption behind the Rs 7000 crore project, said
Samajwadi Party
national president
Akhilesh Yadav
on Tuesday.
The expressway was inaugurated by UP CM Yogi Adityanath on June 21.
The former UP CM said the fact that a local resident Suresh Lodhi died after he fell into an open drain during waterlogging in Thakurganj area of Lucknow exposes the government's poor preparedness to handle monsoon woes in the state capital in particular and the state in general. "If this is the situation in the state capital, one can imagine the situation that must be prevailing in the rest of the state," Akhilesh said.
Citing reports of how the approach road to a bridge in Chitrakoot caved in leaving the commuters in a lurch, Akhilesh said such instances were a routine and only highlight the corruption that has taken place in development projects across the state. "In development projects, norms have been overlooked and authorities have been paid hefty commissions to look the other way. This has resulted in the quality of development projects being compromised but the life of the common citizen to risk like the case in Thakurganj where one Suresh Lodhi died when he was swept into an open drain," he said.
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Akhilesh said bridges, link expressway and roads were not the only casualties of corruption, overhead community water tanks collapsing in different parts of the state in the past few months also narrate the extent to which corruption has seeped into the government projects. Making tall claims like zero tolerance towards corruption does not leave any impact on ground and such moves are nothing more than mere posturing, the former UP CM said.
He said it was not only development projects where rampant corruption has been exposed. "Corruption in transfer postings has public knowledge and money changing hands in Invest UP related projects too has come to the fore." Akhilesh also highlighted the recent case in Kanpur where 11 constables have been accused of forcibly taking Rs 10,000 from a livestock trader after beating him mercilessly for ferrying livestock despite all valid documentation.
Akhilesh said even more serious was the fact that people were being forced to live with the rampant corruption as those involved in such irregularities were being sheltered by the powers that be. "People are feeling hapless as they are compelled to live with this corruption," he said.
Party to observe July 26 as Samvidhan Man Sthumb Diwas
Lucknow: Senior Samajwadi Party functionaries held a meeting at the office of the party's Lucknow unit to discuss the manner in which the cadres will observe the Samvidhan Man Sthumb Diwas on July 26 to mark the Reservation Day as per the directions of the party president. Prominent among those who attended the meeting were MLA Arman Khan, Faqir Siddiqui, SP corporators Yawar Hussain Reshu and Shafiqur Rehman and Gaurav were present.
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