CBI probe sought into ambulance scam

While the scam in Rajasthan involved Rs25.6 million, it amounted to over Rs60 million in Kerala, according to Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

By T.K. Devasia

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Published: Tue 1 Sep 2015, 12:00 AM

Last updated: Tue 1 Sep 2015, 8:48 AM

Trivandrum: The demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the '108 ambulance scam' in Kerala has gained strength with the agency registering a case in connection with a similar scam in Rajasthan on Saturday.
The service in both the states were run by Ziqitza Healthcare Limited, promoted by Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot and Karthi Chidambaram and Ravi Krishna, sons of former federal ministers P Chidambaram and Vayalar Ravi respectively.
While the scam in Rajasthan involved Rs25.6 million, it amounted to over Rs60 million in Kerala, according to Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). The opposition in the southern state has been demanding a CBI probe into the scam ever since the CAG report was tabled in the assembly in March this year. The report said that the state government had made an undue payment of Rs53.5 million to the company by allowing additional operational costs for each km at the rate of Rs49 per km for the year 2010-11 and at the rate of Rs53 per km for the period from 2011 to 2013.
The current operator GVK-EMRI was only charging Rs15 per additional km from 2013. The CAG found that the higher rate was paid to ZHL, in which Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's former economic advisor Shafi Mather was also a stakeholder, as an undue favour and it called for fixing the responsibility for the lapse.
The CAG also found violations of contractual provisions by the company and various other irregularities in their services.
The report said that the firm had failed to provide ambulance services in respect of 28,102 calls. The case is now being investigated by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) has reiterated their demand for handing over the probe to the CBI following the registration of case in connection with the scam in Rajasthan. Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan said that the registration of cases against the two senior Rajasthan Congress leaders and the sons of two former federal ministers had made their demand relevant.


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