Govt’s lame excuse: Reports being examined
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Despite the proclamation of the Congress-led MUA-II Government that they will provide a transparent administration, the Government is in no mood to make public several important reports for which much time, money and energy was spent.
Half a dozen reports of probes conducted in 2013 alone are pending with the Government and the delay in making the reports public is adding to the frustration of those affected.
The pending reports include two judicial inquiries, one on the infamous Shillong jail break and another on anomalies in the functioning of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC).
Other reports are magisterial inquiries into the Williamnagar jail attack in February 2 this year, Shillong jail anomalies, probe into vandalism during the April 4 KSU rally and also administrative probe into the violence during the KSU rally.
Those who conducted the inquiries are afraid to share the full reports with the media, while those who have received the reports including the Chief Secretary do not want to release the report by saying that the Government is still examining the reports.
While Justice (retd) late SP Rajkhowa had submitted the jail break probe report to Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma in January this year, the probe report of Justice (retd) PG Agarwal into the GHADC affairs was also submitted to the Government around the same time.
When the press approached the Government functionaries to avail the reports, the officials first blamed the Assembly elections for the delay and added that they will be placed in the Assembly. However, the Government did not place the judicial inquiry reports in the House during the session in April.
Some RTI activists also tried to get the reports, but in vain. They blamed the Government for the delay in making public the report when the Government had already spent several crores of rupees on judicial inquiries. Moreover, justice delayed is justice denied, they added.
Recently, Home Minister Roshan Warjri had said that the jail probe report will be first discussed in the Cabinet, but the Cabinet meeting is yet to be held after the Assembly session since Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma and several cabinet ministers are out of station.
The KSU recently questioned the Government as to how police can arrest the KSU activists when the magisterial and administrative inquiries into the incident of vandalism were not made public.
