Panchayat functionaries allege stadium scam at Karandih, demand removal of contractor

Jamshedpur: Amidst allegations of stadium scam in the district, residents, especially the Panchayat functionaries of Karandih have started demanding action into the multi-crore stadium project. They have demanded immediate removal of the contractor and appointing a fresh party for the project.

A group of Panchayat functionaries on Tuesday organised a meeting at Karandih and demanded the administration to go ahead with the stadium project but the construction of it must be carried out any contractor other than Pappu Khan, the contractor who has bagged the tender for the project.

The underconstruction stadium in question is located beside the Jaipal Singh Stadium at Karandih in Parsudih.  The stadium is being set up at a cost of Rs 4.6 crores and being set up the civil contractor Pappu Khan. The trouble started as the residents of Karandih noticed that the stadium was filled with flyash instead of soil.  A section of the local residents had informed Block Panchayat Pramukh Rabindranath about the anomalous work, leading the Pramukh to contact the contractor for registering his objection.

Jamshedpur Block Panchayat Samity pramukh, Rabindranath Singh said they are against the construction by this particular contractor as they apprehend that the quality of the stadium will not be as good.

“We have found that the contractor is using flyash instead of soil.  We have doubt that there is a nexus between the Special Division and the contractor behind the stadium construction because both the both the contractor and the Special Division,” said Singh.

The Panchayat Pramuk said the East Singhbhum deputy commissioner, Ravi Shankar Shukla is presently on vacation. “We have already decided on the demand of changing the contractor. Once the deputy commissioner resumes his office, we will meet him and place our demand before him,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile the DSR, Manmohan Prasad had on Saturday carried out an inspection of the stadium construction site while probing into the alleged anomaly.

“I inspected and found that there was nothing wrong in using flyash in the stadium project as the contractor was supposed to fill about 18 ft deep sallow land for constructing the stadium,” said Prasad.

East Singhbhum deputy commissioner (DC) Ravi Shankar Shukla had ordered an inquiry into the alleged anomaly in the construction of a stadium at Karandih on the outskirts of the city.

DC Shukla said he had ordered the nodal officer for Jamshedpur block Dinesh Ranjan and the district sports officer Manmohan Prasad to investigate the matter. �We had got a complaint from Jamshedpur block panchayat head Rabindranath Singh about the use of fly ash in the construction of the stadium. We have asked two competent officers to probe the matter,� noted an official.