IRI seeks probe against UP top babu in NRHM case

LUCKNOW: India Rejuvenation Initiative, a forum for probity in public life, has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi intervention in probing the role of senior IAS officer, Navneet Sehgal in the multi-crore National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). Sehgal is currently principal secretary, information and chief executive officer, UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), which is engaged in India's longest expressway between Lucknow and Agra.
The forum comprising retired judges, IAS, IPS and scientists, in its letter dated February 25, has drawn Modi's attention towards what it calls shoddy investigation'' conducted by the CBI in NRHM scam and its inaction'' against big fish''.
The IRI said that it had drawn the attention of CBI director towards strong evidence of complicity on the then Chairman, UP Jal Nigam, Navneet Sehgal. However, despite passage of considerable time, CBI has, so far, to the best of our knowledge, not
even bothered to question Sehgal,'' said IRI member and former Mumbai police commissioner Julio F. Ribeiro, in the letter. Other members of the forum include, former chief justice of India RC Lahoti; former Chief Election Commissioner JM Lyngdoh; former UP DGP, IC Dwivedi and IIT Kharagpur director, SK Dube.
Ribeiro said that the Special Judge CBI Court no. 1, vide his order dated 03-04-12 passed in the spl. case 2/2012 CBI Vs Pawan Kumar and others, clearly directed the investigating officer to immediately investigate the criminality of the conduct of the then IAS officer holding the post of Chairman Jal Nigam.
He said that this kind of action by CBI investigators and their supervisory officers raises serious doubt about the functioning of the CBI and strengthens public perception that all the 'big fish' involved in the scam will go scot free and only petty doctors and some contractors will get punished.