BJP Leaders in Bengal Accuse Ganga Sagar Mela Project of Financial Mismanagement
Click to start listening
Kolkata, Dec 1 (NationPress) As the annual Ganga Sagar Mela approaches at Sagar Islands in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, the BJP has raised allegations regarding serious financial mismanagement concerning infrastructure development in the area.
The district BJP leadership has asserted that funds from two different sources, namely the Department of Sundarban Affairs and the MP Local Area Development Fund (MPLAD), have been allocated for the same project, which involved constructing a 2.5 km road on Sagar Islands.
The issue came to light when two plaques displayed beside the road presented conflicting information regarding the funding of the project. The initial plaque, installed right after the completion of the road, indicated that the project was implemented on June 18, 2018, using funds from the Sundarban Development Authority.
However, more recently, another plaque was placed that claims the project was executed during the financial year 2024-25, funded by the MPLAD funds from the local Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member, Bapi Halder, from Matthurapur.
“These conflicting statements have raised suspicions of considerable financial misappropriation either at the Sundarban Development Authority or regarding the MPLAD fund, and to conceal this, two plaques with differing claims were erected,” commented a local BJP leader.
While Halder was unavailable for comment, the state Sundarban Affairs Minister, Bankim Chandra Hazra, has denied any claims of financial misappropriation within his department and stated he would resign as a minister if proven incorrect.
The state BJP leadership has claimed that any development initiatives under the Trinamool Congress regime have been tainted by corruption. “The discrepancies in the plaques not only concern the sources of funding for the project but also the timeline of implementation,” stated a district BJP leader.
The annual Ganga Sagar Mela is set to begin on January 10 and conclude on January 18, 2025.
