BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta, the anti-corruption watchdog in the state, has ordered a preliminary enquiry into the May 28 collapse and damage of six out of seven Saptarishi statues following a powerful thunderstorm at Ujjain Mahakal Lok Temple corridor.
The first phase of the corridor was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 11, 2022. Sources in the anti-corruption watchdog said the MP Lokayukta justice NK Gupta, while taking suo moto cognizance of the entire issue, has ordered a preliminary enquiry into the matter.
A team of technical experts from MP Lokayukta will conduct on the spot inspection at the site of statues’ collapse on Saturday. According to sources, the Lokayukta probe will primarily zero in on four to five points, including who made the decision to install fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP)-based statues, were the statues made in line with proposed quality parameters, and was the base of the displaced statues robust and prima facie possibility of corruption by public servant in the matter.
The technical experts will also find out whether there were any discrepancy in the parameters specified in the original agreement and the actual work at the Mahakal Lok. This latest development means that this is the second preliminary enquiry (PE) by the MP Lokayukta into Mahakal Lok-related construction works. It is already probing two complaints made in December 2022 by Congress MLA from Tarana-SC seat Mahesh Parmar, alleging irregularities in construction work at Mahakal Lok.
As many as 15 persons, including three IAS officers, who were issued show cause notices in the past in connection with the PE on the Congress MLA’s December 2022 complaint, have already filed their written replies to the MP Lokayukta.
The collapse and damage of six out of the seven Saptarishi (seven Indian sages) statues at the Mahakal Lok temple corridor following a powerful thunderstorm on May 28 (which also caused loss of human lives and property loss in other parts of Ujjain district) has turned into a major political issue in the state, where assembly polls are slated in the next five months.
The Chouhan government, while quoting the primary probe report of Ujjain divisional commissioner, stated that the statues collapsed owing to the heavy thunderstorm.