By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: With just a month away for the February 23 polls in Meghalaya, sitting Mawkyrwat legislator and Deputy Chief Minister Rowell Lyngdoh has courted controversy after the KSU (Mawkyrwat Circle) accused him of misappropriating funds from the MLA scheme.
Based on documents obtained through an RTI application filed in October 2012, the KSU has alleged that the legislator had misappropriated funds from the Special Rural Works Programme (SRWP) between 2008 and 2012.
According to the KSU, Lyngdoh had sanctioned money from the MLA scheme to fund different units of the Mahila Congress in Mawkyrwat.
“The money was withdrawn by one Sandorlang Ramsiej on behalf of all the Mahila Congress units and the same was signed by Rowell Lyngdoh,” KSU Mawkyrwat Circle president Robert Kharjarin told reporters here on Thursday.
He stated that as per the RTI findings, about Rs 50,000 was withdrawn from the MLA Scheme to fund the Nongshynrieh, Laitlawsnai and Domru-a Mahila units for buying chairs; Rs 25,000 was paid to Nonglyngkit Mahila unit and Rs 15,000 was given to Mawrap and Dongtynrong Mahila units for the same purpose in 2010-11.
“We strongly condemn the sitting MLA for his involvement in misusing public money to fund his own political party and we ask the deputy commissioners of West Khasi Hills and South West Khasi Hills to conduct an inquiry into the matter,” Kharjarin said, while adding, “Local bodies are deprived of these basic requirements while political bodies are being taken care of.”
The KSU also alleged that Lyngdoh had used MLA fund to purchase 500 litre capacity Sintex tanks for 100 households at Rs 3000 per Sintex, but the RTI documents revealed that the capacity of each water tank was 200 litres.
Kharjarin said that they had conducted spot inquiries in the area and found that the beneficiaries were not from BPL families but well-to-do persons.
The KSU also mentioned about anomalies in the construction of fence around the Mawkyrwat Sub Division Sport Association (MSDSA) stadium by the members of the implementation committee with the involvement of the legislator.
Stating that about Rs 3 lakh was sanctioned between 2008-2010 for the construction of fences around the stadium, Kharjarin informed that four years after the funds was sanctioned there is no sign of fencing in the stadium.
“We found out that the first installment of Rs 1 lakh and the second installment of Rs 2 lakh had been sanctioned in 2008 and 2010 respectively and even the utilization certificate had been counter-signed by the sitting MLA. However, on spot verification we found that no work was carried out,” the KSU president alleged.
He also alleged that members of the implementation committee MSDSA president Diverland Lyngdoh, secretary P Wanniang and others were equally involved in the disappearance of the Rs 3 lakh sanctioned for fencing.
Demanding immediate inquiry into the alleged manipulation of MLA schemes, the KSU said that the deputy commissioners of both the districts should take serious note of the matter.