Transport minister quits

TNN / May 18, 2008, 04:38 IST

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Nitish Kumar's transport minister Ramanand Prasad Singh alias Ramanand Singh submitted his resignation to him

PATNA: The NDA��s stock political word "taint" and phrase "tainted minister" used at will with regard to a few RJD ministers in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government at the Centre, has caught up with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.
His transport minister Ramanand Prasad Singh alias Ramanand Singh submitted his resignation to him on Saturday. Singh had been inducted into the ministry following the April 13 reshuffle replacing Ajit Kumar.The resignation was subsequently accepted by governor R S Gavai.
The resignation of Ramanand occurred in connection with the May 24, 1990, vigilance case regarding alleged irregularities committed in the purchase of hose pipes for use in Kanti Thermal Power Station (KTPS) of the Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) in which his name figured. He was the fuel incharge at the thermal power plant then, and had recommended the purchase of the hose pipes. "I had just recommended the purchase, not of the specific types actually purchased," Ramanand said, adding: "The purchase committee made the actual purchase."
In all, 15 hose pipes worth Rs 47,250 were purchased. The chargesheet was filed on December 11, 1991, by the State Vigilance Investigation Bureau. Five members of the purchase committee, including the executive engineer at the plant R P Singh, were also implicated. The case, since then, had been pending in the trial court. He was supposed to appear at the vigilance court on April 24 this year, but skipped it by citing some reasons.

Ramanand said that he, in fact, was innocent. Having been absolved of all the charges levelled against him in 1994 at the instance of the Patna High Court to BSEB, he retired voluntarily, became a pensioner and took to social work coupled with active politics from 1995 onwards, he said. In the process, he aligned with the then Samata Party led by George Fernandes.
"The CM told me that I should have been more careful, and not neglected the lower court matters. He even asked me to think over resignation," he said.
He blamed his predecessor Ajit Kumar, now disgruntled former JD(U) minister, senior RJD leader and former energy minister Jagadanand Singh as well as former junior RJD minister Samrat Choudhary for raking up the issue. He said that he, earlier as an engineer, had a long tiff with Jagadanand, who, later, became the energy minister of the state.

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