By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: With the State Assembly elections due in February, Congress candidate AL Hek could find himself in a spot of bother as charges of misappropriation of funds have been leveled against him by the Pynthorumkhrah People’s Association (PPA) following a Right to Information (RTI) finding which exposed financial irregularities in various schemes meant for the welfare of the people in the Pynthorumkhrah constituency.
Revealing the RTI findings, the PPA alleged that there has been anomaly in utilization of funds upto Rs 2 crore in the Special Rural Works Programme (SRWP) scheme under which Corrugated Galvanised Iron (CGI) sheets were distributed to the people in Pynthorumkhrah.
PPA adviser, Remington Lyngdoh alleged that instead of distributing CGI sheets worth Rs 4000-5000, the local MLA AL Hek gave Rs 2000 to the beneficiaries of the scheme.
“The CGI sheets were purchased between 1998 and 2012,” Lyngdoh said while urging people to demand the remaining money from the MLA.
“The MLA has misused public money. If the CGI sheets have reached all the beneficiaries as claimed then why do we fail to see good houses in the constituency which has many underprivileged (people),” a member of the PPA said.
According to the PPA, on other occasions the poor quality of the CGI sheets provided did not match with the amount claimed for the same.
As per the RTI findings, an amount of Rs 32 lakh was withdrawn for the purchase of 800 bundles of CGI sheet at Rs 4000 per bundle including delivery charge of 60 % and 40 % under the SRWP scheme 2010-11 while in 2011 – 2012, Rs 40 lakh has been sanctioned for the purchase of 800 bundles of CGI-sheet at Rs 5000.
The PPA also alleged that the RTI findings reveal scams in the electrification of X-Ray hall at Nangkiew multi-purpose society Pynthorumkhrah, extension of rooms for Golflink College and getting its affiliation
from NEHU, uplifment and promotion of economic activities for women from BPL families, etc.
“While the X-ray hall does not exist, the Golflink College, for which Rs 5 lakh was sanctioned, has never filed its application of affiliation to NEHU,” PPA spokesperson Welcomestar Lyngdoh said.
“Rs 4.50 lakh sanctioned for uplifment of women from BPL families through the multi-purpose society also failed to reach the beneficiaries,” he added.