Misuse of public fund by UP MLAs to purchase laptops

Lucknow, July 4 (UNI) Misuse of public funds by of the Uttar Pradesh legislature has been detected in purchase of laptops during the past couple of years, while most MPs and legislators diverted their constitutency development funds to private colleges and institutions.

The disclosure was made in the government document sought by a former IPS S R Darapuri through the Right to Information Act (RTI) here recently.

Talking to newspersons, Mr Darapuri, who is the vice president of Dr Ambedkar Mahasaba, said he received details of expenditure of constituency development fund about three MPs and eight legislators of Lucknow district under the RTI.

Presenting the document, Mr Darapuri said two MLAs in 2003-04 had purchased laptops costing around Rs 3.15 lakh each, when the same product cost around Rs 1.25 lakh at that time.

In contrast, two legislator had purchased laptops for Rs 51,000 each in 2003-04, while other two in the same year had paid Rs 2.52 and Rs 2.39 lakh respectively.

Demanding a high level probe into the laptop purchase bungling, the former IG charged that two companies UPTRON Powertronic Ltd and UP Electronic Corporation were behind the scam.

Taking up another issue, he said of the three Lucknow MP former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had contributed all his MPLAD fund of Rs six crore to the development of scientific convention centre at the KGMU, while other two MPs, alongwith most of the legislators, had to a large extent contributed funds to the private educational institutes or colleges.

Demanding that contribution to private institutions be stopped, the Mahasabha vice-president said corruption deals were being made with these contributions.

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