Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh on Wednesday refuted allegations that he assaulted officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), calling the FIR filed against him a distraction from the real issue — the Bhattakuffar building collapse.
Singh claimed the collapse was the result of negligence and excessive hill-cutting by NHAI. “An FIR doesn’t mean I’m guilty. I deny all the allegations levelled against me,” he said.
He went on to accuse NHAI officials of corruption and malpractice, saying: “There is a nexus between NHAI officials and private contractors, and this is causing serious harm to ordinary people.”
Responding to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s remarks condemning the alleged assault, Singh said Gadkari may not have been correctly informed about the ground realities.
“I will soon meet the Union Minister and apprise him of the corrupt practices of NHAI officials,” he said.
Singh added that he plans to urge the Centre to frame a policy to compensate those who have suffered due to the poor functioning of NHAI.
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