Congress Alleges Scam In Distribution Of Bio-Decomposers In Delhi

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera alleged on Thursday a scam in the distribution of bio-decomposer for preventing the burning of paddy straw in Delhi and demanded a CBI inquiry into it.

Mr Khera claimed that Rs 10 crore was spent on advertisements of Pusa bio-decomposers by the Kejriwal government, while the actual cost of distribution of it was Rs 23.60 lakh, including Rs 75,780 as cost of the solution.

No reaction was immediately available from the government or the ruling AAP.

"We demand a CBI inquiry into this scam of Pusa bio-decomposer, initiated by the so-called revolutionary chief minister of Delhi," Mr Khera said in a press conference held at the party office.

He also alleged that despite the claim that the solution would decompose paddy straw, it failed to do so.

The Delhi government adopted the bio-decomposer developed by the Pusa Institute of Technology and arranged its free-of-cost sprinkling at around 800 hectares of fields where non-Basmati rice is cultivated to prevent burning of paddy straw by the farmers.

Citing RTI replies, Mr Khera claimed that 1,200 farmers applied for the bio-decomposer but only 310 in 39 villages could get it from the government.

The AAP government-held paddy straw burning in neighbouring states as main source of rise in air pollution in Delhi during winters and strongly advocated use of Pusa bio-decomposers to check it.