By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Former Mawlai legislator PT Sawkmie said that he has already clarified on the alleged misappropriation of funds of the MLA schemes amounting to Rs 2.8 crore during his tenure as the MLA of Mawlai constituency.
“I have already clarified before the media when the issue was raked up in 2009. I do not feel it is necessary for me to clarify on this again and again,” Sawkmie who is contesting from Pynthorumkhrah as an Independent said in a clarification issued here on Friday.
While stating that this is a ‘political conspiracy’ against him, the former Mawlai legislator said that this is a desperate attempt on the part of his opponents to defame his image especially when the Assembly poll is round the corner.
“If I had really misused the funds, by now there should have been an FIR filed by the Government against me. Even the CBI should have been asked to inquire into this,” Sawkmie said.
He said that he is much better when compared to other legislators. “The Government had recently filed an FIR against one legislator for misusing public money,” Sawkmie added.
Earlier on Thursday, The Mawlai Town Dorbar (MTD) had demanded former Mawlai legislator PT Sawkmie to clarify the RTI findings which had exposed the misappropriation of funds of the MLA schemes amounting to Rs 2.8 crore during his tenure as the MLA of the constituency.
Mentionably, way back in April 2009, the MTD through RTI detected alleged fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 2,80,53,858 under local area development scheme for Mawlai constituency by a person claiming to be the secretary of Mawlai Constituency Development Council (MCDC). Interestingly, the MCDC secretary was none other than Sawkmie’s own younger brother Justice Sawkmie.
MTD used the RTI Act to obtain the documents related to the withdrawal of the amount following a survey report of RS Lyngdoh Training Centre (RSLTC) in December 2008 which revealed large scale irregularities in implementation of MLA schemes in 51 villages spread over 15 constituencies of East Khasi Hills District including Mawlai.
The survey report which was reported widely in the press in December 2008 was based on RTI documents gathered from the four block development offices in East Khasi Hills and Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) and spot investigation by RSLTC revealing that the Mawlai Development Constituency Council (MTDC) secretary had allegedly withdrawn Rs 2,80,53,858 which is yet to be accounted for.