Bihar: Former Minister alleges scam in procurement of ambulances in Siwan
Jun 01, 2021
Patna (Bihar) [India], June 1 : As the country is battling the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, former Bihar Minister Vikram Kunwar on Tuesday alleged that an "ambulance scam" has been unearthed in Siwan district that reveals each ambulance was purchased at three times the market price.
Kunwar alleged that each ambulance worth Rs 7 lakh was purchased for a whopping price of around Rs 22 lakh in Bihar's Siwan district.
He requested Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to investigate the alleged scam.
In a letter written to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the former MLA alleged that about 10 ambulances have been purchased from funds provided by MLC Tunna Pandey and former MLAs Ramesh Singh Kushwaha and Vyasdev Prasad.
Meanwhile, Siwan District Magistrate Amit Pandey has said that an investigation has been ordered in the case.
Vikram Kunwar further stated that each ambulance costing 7 lakhs was purchased for a price of about 22 lakhs, adding that a scam of Rs 15 lakh has taken place.
In his letter, Kunwar stated that proposals have been sent for the purchase of six such ambulances.
"We don't know at what price the ambulances were bought. The District Magistrate has constituted a committee for an investigation into the matter," Siwan MLC Tunna Pandey said.
He also pointed to the alleged role of Siwan District Planning Officer in the 'scam' and said, "When this is the situation in the home district of Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey, then what will be the condition of other districts, you can guess from this scam."
Vikram requested the Chief Minister to investigate the involvement of the district planning officer in the alleged 'scam' and the misuse of his powers and urged him to punish the culprits.
"Ambulances also carry few special types of equipment for COVID which is why their rates were higher than normal,". Siwan District Magistrate Amit Kumar Pandey said.
Following the former MLA's complaint,Amit Kumar Pandey, formed a three-member team to investigate the matter.
