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| Pratap Park vandalized to give 'undue' benefits to leading company, NGO | | Work started without issuance of any formal order | | Majid Nabi
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Aug 4: In what could be described as a 'major blow' to state exchequer the Department of Floriculture on mere 'verbal directions' of the concerned minister Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari has allocated 'redesigning' of historic Pratap Park positioned in the heart of city to flagship company of the K.K. Modi Group, without issuing any tender notice.
It is worth mentioning that the refurbishment of Pratap Park was started few years back by the government while as the decades old poplar trees were also chopped down, although the beautification of Pratap Park remained a far-fetched dream.
Official sources told Early Times that the state government did not issue any tender notice and the projects were handed over to Godfrey Philips India Ltd, through which the same was allocated to Help Foundation a Civil Society Group for its 'Infrastructural Improvement and Beautification'.
On being asked about the estimated expenditure for refurbishment of Pratap Park an official said that there is no bar as to how much the work costs, since the government has not issued tender notice. He said that it was due to this reason only that the group did not enter into any written agreement with the concerned authorities.
The official said the group has taken the responsibility of overall renovation of the park and it would be too early to claim about the total cost of the work. He said the group does not have any formal authorization (license) to undertake the renovation work that too for such a multi-crore project.
It is obligatory to 'quote' the verbal order of the concerned Minister copy of which lies with Early Times in which the authorities have categorically mentioned that the project shall be handed over to Godfrey Phillips India ltd and its allies.
"As per the verbal directions of Minister for PWD/Floriculture, Parks and Gardens Pratap Park is to be handed over to Godfrey Phillips for its infrastructural improvement and beautification," reads the order issued by Directorate of Floriculture, Emporium.
The order further reads that, "you are asked to prepare inventory of all assets created by the department in the park and handover the same to the representatives of Godfrey Phillips that is Help Foundation after completing all procedural formalities with intimation to this office as well. The ownership right of the park shall be unaltered."
The most pathetic part is that the group also removed the floor covering of the park transversely making the state government to suffer losses worth lakhs of rupees.
"The floor covering was fixed some three months back by the government but we were asked by the agency to remove the same as their plan is to fit newly designed tiles worth approximately rupees twenty lakhs," the official said. |
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