The predicaments for Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, who is currently lodged in Sitapur jail, might just become worse after Yogi Adityanath government ordered inquiry into the construction of the Ala Hazrat Haj House in Ghaziabad, built during the Samajwadi Party era at a cost of Rs 51 crore. The State Minorities Welfare Minister Nand Gopal Nandi has handed over the probe to SIT after gross financial anomalies were detected in the construction of Haj House.
The State government in its order issued to UP director general of police HC Awasthy on August 31, said the special investigation team (SIT) should submit its report within two months.
According to the Home Department, the secretary and executive officer, UP State Haj Committee, Rahul Gupta in a communique dated June 11 had alerted the Yogi government about the irregularities in the construction of the Haj house. He had written that despite the huge amount of money spent on the construction, no attempt were made to rectify the shortcomings and make the establishment ready for public use. He also pointed out that the executing agency, Construction & Design Services (C&DS) had not provided any details of the expenditure incurred during construction until now.
The Ala Hazrat Haj house built during Samajwadi Party era at the cost of Rs 51 crore
The Haj House in Ghaziabad was built, when the SP chief Akhilesh Yadav was at the helm of affairs in Uttar Pradesh and SP leader Azam Khan, who has been accused in multiple cases of theft and forgery, was a part of his cabinet. The Ala Hazrat Haj House was constructed at the cost of Rs 51 crore in order to give assistance to Muslims on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia’s Mecca.
The complex, which is spread over an area of 4.3 acres and includes 47 dormitory halls and 36 VIP rooms, and can accommodate 1,886 persons, was inaugurated by former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and former state minority minister Azam Khan on 4 September 2016.
Haj house sealed by NGT
The National Green Tribunal, in February 2018, sealed the property due to lack of a Sewage Treatment Plant.
Complex converted into a 500-bed isolation centre
In the wake of the coronavirus scourge, Yogi government had announced to convert the giant Aala Hazrat Haj House situated in Ghaziabad’s Arthala into a 500-bed isolation centre in order to avoid any further medical repercussions in the sensitive environment.