Chhattisgarh: Bhupesh Baghel proposes legislation to obtain pvt faculty owned by way of son-in-law’s family

IN WHAT raises questions of battle of hobby, the Chhattisgarh executive, in an atypical transfer, plans to take over, by the use of a legislation, a financially-strapped scientific faculty owned by way of a circle of relatives into which Leader Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s daughter has married.

The state executive is operating on a Invoice to obtain privately-owned Chandulal Chandrakar Memorial Scientific School in Durg. This faculty is owned by way of Chandulal Chandrakar Memorial Health facility (CCMH), an unlisted non-public corporate, registered in March 1997.

Chandulal Chandrakar used to be a Congress chief, a five-term Lok Sabha MP from Durg, and a Union minister prior to now. He died in 1995. The clinic used to be promoted in his reminiscence by way of the Chandrakar group, and the Director of CCMH is Mangal Prasad Chandrakar. He is among the 59 shareholders, keeping about 4% within the corporate.

The draft Invoice, noticed by way of The Indian information, says the clinic asked the state executive to obtain the varsity because it used to be in “monetary difficulties”. Many scholars are learning within the scientific faculty, notes the draft Invoice in its ‘Observation of Object and Causes’, and that the state executive is happy that an “speedy acquisition” is “essential in public hobby”.

Whilst the liabilities of the varsity shall be that of the homeowners of CCMH, the state will adopt a valuation workout of the movable and immovable belongings of the varsity and pay the quantity to CCMH, consistent with the draft Invoice.

A bit of bureaucrats coping with the recordsdata are, alternatively, “uncomfortable” with the verdict, for the reason that

The CM’s daughter, Divya Baghel, is married to Kshitij Chandrakar, whose father Vijay Chandrakar is the more youthful brother of Mangal Prasad Chandrakar, the Director of CCMH.

The federal government had swung into motion to obtain the varsity after Baghel introduced it nearly six months again. On February 2, he had tweeted, “The paintings to obtain the non-public clinic beneath the federal government will get started quickly.”

Bureaucrats level to 3 explicit problems that carry a crimson flag: i) CCMH’s general exceptional debt is Rs 125 crore, of which a big section is unsecured; ii) The scientific faculty being bought used to be accused of ‘fraudulent’ actions by way of the Scientific Council of India in its assembly on April 12, 2018, and iii) The school does now not also have popularity since 2017.

The Leader Minister’s Administrative center didn’t reply to an inventory of questions despatched by way of The Indian information. When contacted, S Bharatidasan, Director of Public Members of the family, Chhattisgarh mentioned, “The Invoice goes to be offered on this consultation of Meeting. Till it’s offered, no questions in regards to the Invoice or its instances may well be equipped by way of the involved secretary.”

Kshitij Chandrakar, son-in-law of Baghel, who heads the All India Skilled Congress unit within the state, stated MP Chandrakar used to be his uncle. “The brothers (his father Vijay and uncle Mangal Prasad) had an amicable separation round 6-7 years in the past,” he mentioned.

However he mentioned he favoured the purchase for the “300-odd scholars” of the varsity. “If the federal government is getting a purposeful faculty at a value a lot not up to what they might pay to construct a brand new faculty, whilst additionally serving to out the scholars, this is a just right and welcome choice,” he mentioned.

Laxman Chandrakar, Govt Director, CCMH, and likewise a shareholder (3.75%) mentioned the corporate’s board of administrators had asked executive intervention after going through financial hardships. “This isn’t a hidden reality that we’ve got money owed on us. We asked the federal government to avoid wasting the varsity,” he mentioned.

Devkumar Chandrakar, additionally an Govt Director, CCMH, and a shareholder (3.75%) mentioned he used to be conscious about the Invoice to be presented on this consultation. He additionally showed the varsity didn’t have popularity since 2017. “We didn’t get popularity for any yr since 2017, this yr’s popularity from MCI is pending,” he mentioned.

The federal government, the draft Invoice says, pays Chandulal Chandrakar Memorial Health facility — the landlord of the varsity — an quantity to be determined in accordance with the valuation of the movable and immovable homes of the varsity. A Particular Officer, proposed to be appointed, gets a yr to post the valuation of the varsity’s homes to the federal government.

In line with the draft Invoice, the debt of Chandulal Chandrakar Memorial Scientific School shall stay the legal responsibility of the landlord “prior to the vesting by way of the Executive and may also be recovered by way of their collectors from them by way of following commonplace strategy of legislation”.

A circle of relatives member carefully associated with Chandulal Chandrakar has additionally blamed the federal government of nepotism. Amit Chandraker, the grandson of Chandulal Chandrakar’s elder brother Chunnilal Chandrakar, and Joint Secretary, state Congress, instructed The Indian information, “The Leader Minister is making an attempt to learn his (daughter’s) in-laws by way of making a brand new legislation,” he alleged.

Responding to this, Kshitij Chandrakar mentioned, “It’s illogical that the similar circle of relatives that didn’t need to do anything else with Chandulal ji whilst he used to be alive is combating for him. They simply need to capitalise at the identify of an ideal chief.”

Chandulal Chandrakar Memorial Health facility reported turnover of Rs 49.67 crore in 2019-20, 26 in keeping with cent not up to Rs 67.38 crore within the earlier yr, consistent with its monetary statements for 2019-20 received from the Registrar of Corporations. The corporate’s internet value is totally eroded, and it reported losses of Rs 9.98 crore in 2019-20, upper than losses of Rs 8.55 crore within the earlier yr.

The corporate’s general debt for the year-ended March 31, 2020, stood at Rs 125.26 crore, of which unsecured loans accounted for nearly 43 in keeping with cent or Rs 53.81 crore.