In Bihar, the "ambulance scam" was unearthed after reports showed each vehicle, costing ₹7 lakh, was purchased for a whopping ₹21.84 lakh. In the Siwan district, seven ambulances purchased in 2020 during the country's peak Covid crisis allegedly at three times the price remain unused at a parking lot.
Videos from the district showed the ambulances, spotless and bearing the names of MLAs and MPs, stationed at a parking lot.
Of the seven, five ambulances were allegedly bought under the Chief Minister's regional development fund. The purchase was also not made from the government's e-marketplace (GEM) which is mandatory for any item costing over ₹5 lakh.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been urged to order a probe in the matter and all other ambulance purchases made during the pandemic.