Minister's son gets contract from father's department

By IANS,

Ranchi : A Jharkhand minister is facing allegations of favouring his son in awarding a contract worth Rs.1.41 crore from his department.

Tanvir Ansari, son of Rural Works Minister Haji Hussain Ansari, was given the contract for road construction in Deoghar district March 5. It was awarded by the tender committee of the rural works department of the district.

The opposition has slammed the move terming it a "wrong practice".

Congress legislator K.N. Tripathy told reporters here Sunday: "The Shibu Soren government should take the issue seriously. It is not fighting corruption. It is not even handing over the investigation of scores of scams in Jharkhand to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)."

Deputy Chief Minister Raghubar Das said: "There is nothing wrong if the contract has been awarded as per law. We will look into the issue."

In his defence, Haji Hussain Ansari, said: "Is it a crime to be the son of a minister? My son is a registered contractor since 2003 and no influence was used in awarding the contract to him."