Rajasthan energy minister owes govt Rs 2 lakh in unpaid power bills: Beniwal

Jaipur, Jul 15 (PTI) Rajasthan Energy Minister Heeralal Nagar owes the government over Rs 2 lakh in unpaid electricity bills, Nagaur Lok Sabha MP Hanuman Beniwal alleged on Tuesday after power supply to his home and party office was cut over non-payment of dues.

He levelled serious accusations of corruption against Nagar, alleging that the smart meter installation contracts were rife with kickbacks that reached the minister and others.

Nagar could not be immediately reached for a comment on Beniwal's allegations.

The Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) leader shared with reporters documents, which he claimed were proof of an unpaid electricity bill to the tune of Rs 2.17 lakh for the minister's Hospital Road government residence, and asked whether that electricity connection would also be disconnected.

"The government sent notices to me about my allotted government house, and cut power to my MP office in Nagaur. Will you now cut the energy minister's connection?" Beniwal asked Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma.

He further claimed that while unpaid bills for Nagar's Jyoti Nagar flats were settled from government accounts, an attempt to pay the Hospital Road bungalow bill from the state treasury was rejected. "The treasury said the government pays only one bill for a minister," Beniwal claimed.

The MP also targeted Khivsar MLA Rewant Ram Danga, displaying what he claimed were overdue bills in Danga's name, alleging that electricity connections were granted in violation of disconnection rules. He further accused Danga of being part of irregularities in the Prime Minister's Fasal Bima Yojana and involvement in illegal mining.

Turning to the sub-inspector recruitment controversy, Beniwal accused the BJP-led state government of "double standards" and claimed the judiciary had called the administration "paralysed" over its contradictory stand in court.

He also alleged that the Nagaur superintendent of police and former MP Jyoti Mirdha were complicit in illegal sand mining in the region. PTI AG NSD NSD