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Patna,(BiharTimes): When the Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA) land scam was unearthed by a section of media last year many in the political circle found similarity with the 2G Spectrum scam, not in the amount involved but in the methodology adopted. |
Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, Abdul Bari Siddiqui, had then said that the allotment procedure for both alleged BIADA scam and the 2G Spectrum scam was first-come-first-served. Siddique also sought the CBI inquiry into the matter.
The BIADA land was allegedly allotted to the relatives of influential ministers and bureaucrats by twisting rules by the Nitish Kumar government as was the case in the 2G Spectrum in which Supreme Court ordered a CBI probe, he said.
In the alleged BIADA land scam, the state government’s integrity has come under scanner for the manner it twisted the allotment procedure to favour its own people.
While CBI probe is on in the 2G Spectrum scam no such probe is on in the BIADA case. Even the media is not pursuing it.
Incidentally, the Supreme Court, while dealing with the 2G Spectrum case, on Thursday found “a fundamental flaw in the principle of first-come-first-served inasmuch as it involves an element of pure chance or accident. In matters involving award of contracts or grant of licence or permission to use public property, the invocation of first-come-first-served principle has inherently dangerous implications. Any person who has access to power corridor at the highest or the lowest level may be able to obtain information from the Government files or the files of the agency/instrumentality of the State that a particular public property or asset is likely to be disposed of or a contract is likely to be awarded or a licence or permission would be given. He would immediately make an application and would become entitled to stand first in the queue at the cost of all others who may have a better claim…the duty of the Court to exercise its power in larger public interest and ensure that the institutional integrity is not compromised the State and its agencies/instrumentalities must always adopt a rational method for disposal of public property and no attempt should be made to scuttle the claim of worthy applicants. When it comes to alienation of scarce natural resources like spectrum etc, the State must always adopt a method of auction by giving wide publicity so that all eligible persons may participate in the process.”
In case of BIADA in Bihar the opposition is seeking the CBI probe as any official or state agency is incapable of investigating the alleged scam involving kins of influential ministers and bureaucrats.
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