PHED reports highest number of 58 cases; Action pending for 20-25 years
SHILLONG: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has revealed that the Meghalaya Government has reported as many as 79 cases of misappropriation, defalcation etc., involving public money amounting to Rs.2.12 crore up to the period March 2014 on which final action was pending.
According to Rule 112 of the Meghalaya Financial Rules, 1981, any defalcation or loss of public money or other property discovered in Government Treasury or other office or department, which is under the audit of the Accountant General, should be immediately reported to the Accountant General, even when such loss has been made good by the person responsible for it.
As per the report, 58 such cases of theft, misappropriation and loss of government material have been pending in the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) including 57 cases of theft amounting to Rs.7.41 lakh and one case of loss of government material worth Rs.0.18 lakh.
The CAG report for the year ended March 2014, said that in the Public Works Department (PWD), two cases of theft were reported which included an amount of Rs.3.76 lakh and one misappropriation case of Rs.0.22 lakh was reported in the department, action on which were pending.
As per the audit report, there are altogether six cases which have been pending for over 25 years while 23 pending cases are in the range of 20-25 years. Similarly, 34 cases are pending in the range of 10-15 years.
During 2013-14, one case of dacoity in respect of Forest Department involving Rs.2.14 lakh and one theft case in respect of Agriculture Department involving Rs.0.23 lakh were written off, the CAG said.
Out of the 79 cases, 57 cases worth an amount of Rs.83.41 lakh were awaiting departmental and criminal investigation while 13 cases were either awaiting orders for recovery or write off.
The report further said that out of Rs.2.12 crore, the highest amount of theft, misappropriation and losses of Rs.1.02 crore pertained to the Finance Department involving two cases, while the highest number of theft cases and losses (58 cases) involving Rs.7.59 lakh were pending in the Public Health Engineering Department.
The CAG further stated that action in all the 79 cases were pending due to non-initiation of departmental and criminal investigation in 57 cases, non-issue of orders for recovery or write off in 13 cases, non-finalization of departmental action in eight cases while one case was pending cases verdict from the court.
Departmental inquiries in all cases should be expedited to bring the defaulters to book and internal controls should be strengthened to prevent such cases in future.