Jamshedpur East: Saryu�s question on Meinhardt consultancy

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, Nov 25:  Saryu Roy, who is contesting as an independent candidate from Jamshedpur East Assembly seat against Chief Minister Raghubar Das in the ensuing Assembly elections has raised the issue of Manhart in his election campaign.

Addressing a press meet Saryu said that in 2005, a Singapore-based company, Manhart, was appointed as consultant in regard to the construction of a sewerage-drainage system in Ranchi. About Rs 21 crore were spent on this project, but no work was done at the ground level. He alleged that a committee of five engineers was formed to investigate the misuse of funds. The committee also submitted a 17-page report on its findings based on which it was assured that action would be taken against the agency and the person giving his nod to the appointment of Meinhardt.

 Saryu Roy said, �The High Court had also served notice to the government twice, but no action was taken. I think this is a serious allegation against the Chief Minister. I also want to ask the national leaders whether they were aware of this before 2014? If they were, why was Das appointed Chief Minister?�

The appointment of Meinhardt as consultant for the sewerage-drainage project had raised controversy with Das being accused of giving preference to the consultant while ignoring bids of other parties, informed Saryu Roy during the press briefing. 

Raghubar Das had won the 2014 Assembly polls from Jamshedpur East with a margin of 70,157 against his nearest Congress rival Anand Bihari Dubey.

Apart from Roy, the Chief Minister is being challenged by Congress Party�s national spokesperson and XLRI Jamshedpur Professor Gourav Vallabh and JVM�s central secretary Abhay Singh.