Srinagar, Aug 25: In a scathing attack on the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Wednesday accused him of having received Rs 500 crore as kickbacks in the Rattle hydroelectric project besides constructing Rs 20 crore private residence at the cost of public exchequer.
 The party alleged that Omar had made one-time withdrawal of Rs 26 crore from the chief minister’s secret fund without accountability and even accused him of shifting architectural grandeur from the famed Toshkhana here to his residential house. 
 Accusing the government of taking advantage of the prevailing unrest in Kashmir, the senior PDP leader Nizam-ud-din Bhat told press conference here: “We had no choice but to expose the misdeeds of the Chief Minister. On one hand our future generation is being made target of bullets and on the other, the state government and the Chief Minister is busy looting the state resources and the funds received by the government from the center under different centrally sponsored schemes and projects.”
 “As a major opposition party, we could have launched a sustained campaign against these misdeeds but we preferred to side with the public sentiment in the present situation which is paramount to us. But now we thought it appropriate to expose the individual and collective misdeeds of those who rule the state,” Bhat said.
 “They (NC) have been doing this for the personal gains. Now the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, has recently received a kickback of around Rs 500 crore in the construction of the Rattle power project,” Bhat alleged.
 The 690 megawatt power project is being constructed on river Chenab in Kishtwar district of Jammu at the cost of Rs 5000 crore.
 To be constructed by the Hyderabad based company GVK Power and Infrastructure Limited, the project has been allotted by the state government on a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis for a period of 35 years, following which it will be transferred to the state on the payment of Rs 380 crore.
 “Not only this, he is constructing Omar Abdullah Mahal at Gupkar at a cost of Rs 20 crore to enjoy there once the genocide of the Kashmiris is over. For its construction hundreds of labourers were bought from outside the state and kept at the state guest house to do the double shift work on it. This all is happening at a time when Kashmiris are falling prey to bullets and they are not ashamed to loot the state exchequer which they said was paramount to them when they took over the reigns of the state. The traditional Diver stones worth Rs 75 lakh are being used in the construction of the Mahal.”
 Bhat went on to allege that Omar had “shifted the state’s rich architectural grandeur to his bedroom from the famed Toshkhana.”
 “Sometime back there were reports alleging that five cabinet ministers were involved in different corruption cases. The state said that the Vigilance Organization will investigate the matter in time bound manner but no action has been taken,” said Bhat, flanked by senior party legislators including AR Veeri, Peerzada Mansoor Hussain, Muhammad Khalil Bandh and party’s chief spokesman Naeem Akthar.  
 “We already know how a NRK doctor had to wind up a project of constructing a specialist heart-care center in Kashmir just because the chief minister and his close aide had asked for kickback of Rs three crore to approve it,” Bhat alleged.
 The entire state, Bhat alleged has been auctioned. “There is no accountability of the funds received under Planning and those received for different projects from the ADB and World Bank. One wonders how is this criminal government roaming Scott free. New Delhi has maintained criminal silence. It must see why state has been kept at the disposal of anyone in the government to auction it. The government is committing crimes beyond one’s imagination. Leaders like (German ruler) Hitler too enjoyed the luxurious life but not at the cost of nation,” Bhat alleged. 
 Asked what the basis for the allegations, Bhat said, “Let chief minister face a public trial and let there be an inquiry instituted at these allegations. Truth will naturally come to the fore. Let those who have the stakes in Kashmir know the misdeeds of the present government and the mindset of its rulers.” 
 On the present situation in the Valley, Bhat said Kashmir was burning and there seemed to be no end to the atrocities on people.
 Responding to a question, Bhat said the government itself chose to open a Pandora box by stooping to “new levels of meanness in the conduct of its affairs more so at political level. It has chosen to use its official propaganda machinery to undermine the legislative system of the state of which we are a part. By releasing out of context information about our legitimate duty as legislators it has tried to provide a clue to its criminal mindset.”
‘WE ARE READY’
 Later in the evening a senior PDP leader said that they were ready to face the legal action. “Let Omar file the suit we are ready. We have got enough evidence to prove whatever we have said,” the PDP leader said.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST