Congress walks out over alleged forged gram sabha resolutions

Raipur: The Congress staged a walkout from the Chhattisgarh assembly on Thursday after expressing dissatisfaction with the government’s response on alleged forged gram sabha resolutions used for proposed industrial projects in Raipur district.Raising the issue during Question Hour, former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel alleged that gram sabha resolutions in Alda and Deori-Ghulghul villages were fabricated to facilitate industrial projects and demanded action against those responsible. He also sought cancellation of land allotted to the beneficiary companies.Responding on behalf of the government, environment minister O P Choudhary said the two companies — Balaji Sponge and Iron Ltd and Agrasen Steel and Power Pvt Ltd — had not applied to the Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board for consent. Consequently, the board had not received the gram sabha resolutions related to the projects.The minister informed the House that a three-member committee had inquired into allegations of forgery in the Alda gram sabha proceedings. The inquiry found that the gram sabha had unanimously resolved not to issue a no-objection certificate for the project, while the authorship of the final two lines entered in the proceedings register could not be established.Based on the inquiry report, an FIR was registered on June 22 this year at Tilda-Neora police station under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against unidentified persons, Choudhary said. He added that the Centre had not granted environmental clearance to either of the proposed projects.Baghel questioned why the FIR had been registered only against unknown persons despite gram panchayat records being maintained by the secretary and sought to know why the beneficiary companies had not been named. He also asked whether the government would cancel the land allotments made to the companies.Choudhary said the police investigation was underway and action would be taken against anyone found guilty, including public representatives, officials or others, in accordance with the findings.Unsatisfied with the minister’s reply, Congress legislators walked out of the House, alleging that the government was shielding those responsible and failing to act against the beneficiaries of the alleged forgery.