SRINAGAR: In a current growth, a Lucknow-based infrastructure agency, Apco Infratech Personal Restricted, has come underneath scrutiny for its hefty donations to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) amid securing profitable authorities contracts, elevating questions on potential conflicts of curiosity.
One such venture is the development of the 6.4 km-long Z-Morh tunnel in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir, awarded to Apco Infratech in December 2019. Valued at Rs 2,716 crore, this tunnel holds strategic significance for each regional connectivity and nationwide safety, because it lies on the essential Srinagar-Leh nationwide freeway.
“Lower than 4 weeks after receiving the go-ahead for the venture – on 15 January, 2020 – the agency bought 10 electoral bonds value Rs 1 crore every,” a report in Scroll mentioned. “The Bharatiya Janata Get together encashed the bonds six days later.”
The controversy stems from revelations that Apco Infratech bought electoral bonds totaling Rs 30 crore, all of which have been directed to the BJP, as disclosed by the Election Fee of India. This revelation has ignited considerations over the intersection of enterprise pursuits and political contributions, significantly within the context of the agency’s involvement in vital infrastructure initiatives throughout numerous states, together with Jammu and Kashmir.
In addition to, Apco Infratech’s involvement in different main initiatives, such because the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, has raised eyebrows. The agency secured contracts for 2 sections of this expressway in Jammu division, amounting to Rs 1547.91 crore, shortly after donating Rs 10 crore value of electoral bonds to the BJP in January 2022.
“In January 2022, the agency donated electoral bonds value Rs 10 crore to the Bharatiya Janata Get together. Seven months later, the agency received a contract from the Nationwide Highways Authority of India to assemble a 28.92 km stretch of the 650-km Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway,” the report mentioned. “Being constructed at a value of Rs 1547.91 crore, the agency has received the contract to construct two stretches – a 13.3 km part between Kunjwani and Sidhra and a 15.62 km part between Domel and Katra – within the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir.”
This investigation, performed collectively by Newslaundry, Scroll, The Information Minute, and impartial journalists, underscores the significance of accountability and moral conduct within the realm of infrastructure growth and political financing.
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