By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Mounting his rhetoric, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday made it clear that not only big sharks but crocodiles will also not be spared in the fight against corruption.
“You people used to say only small fish are netted. Small fish are coming. But big sharks are also coming and crocodiles will also be not spared. You have already seen the example,” Dhami said replying to a question on corruption at a press conference in the state BJP’s headquarters in Dehradun.
He reiterated his government’s resolve to make Uttarakhand corruption-free.
After taking stern actions against many government employees, the Chief Minister on Friday reiterated his government’s resolve to continue the fight against corruption and said no one would be spared.
Dhami’s statement came after the suspension of four top PWD engineers who were linked to the collapse of a bailey bridge in Tharali area of Chamoli district in Uttarakhand.
In one of the biggest actions against corruption since the formation of Uttarakhand, Dhami ordered suspension of two IAS officers along with eight others in the Haridwar land scam. A total of 10 officers, including two IAS officers were suspended in this case. Besides, the jobs of two government officers, who were given extension, were also terminated.
After questions were raised on the purchase of 2.3070 hectares of land located near the garbage dump in Gram Sarai by the Haridwar Municipal Corporation (HMC) for Rs 54 crore when its original cost was only Rs 15 crore, the Chief Minister Dhami had ordered an inquiry into the matter.
Ranveer Singh Chauhan, an IAS officer, conducted a preliminary investigation in the matter and submitted the report to the government on May 29. The inquiry report found that the cost of the land was artificially raised by changing its land-use from agriculture to commercial.
On the basis of this investigation report, the Chief Minister ordered immediate action against the guilty officers.
Commenting on the issue, the Chief Minister made it clear that his government wants to develop a new work culture in the state which is corruption-free. “Our government has made it clear from the very first day that in public service, accountability is important. No matter how senior a person is, if he disregards public interest and rules, action is certain. We want to develop a new corruption-free work culture in Uttarakhand. All public servants will have to live up to its standards,” Chief Minister Dhami said.
Last month, Sub-Inspector Devesh Khugshal was arrested after he was caught red handed while accepting a bribe of Rs one lakh in Dehradun.