By IANS,
Raipur : The opposition Congress party Sunday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Chhattisgarh was granting mining leases in favour of big companies in hurried “closed-door meetings” ahead of the assembly polls later this year.
“This BJP government is taking mining lease decisions in favour of major companies, ignoring transparency and established rules,” state Congress president Dhanendra Sahu told reporters here. The Congress party would probe the deals if voted to power, he added.
The mineral-rich state goes to polls in November and the model code of conduct is likely to be in place within a month.
“With just a few weeks left for the model code of conduct to be introduced, the BJP government is taking mining lease decisions in a hurry and in closed-door meetings. We will probe this loot of natural resources after November polls when the party is set to return to power,” Sahu remarked.
He also alleged that the state government was forcibly acquiring farmers’ lands on the outskirts of capital Raipur in the Naya Raipur area for construction of a golf course. Naya Raipur will replace Raipur as the state capital by year 2011.