GHADC scam
SHILLONG: Despite spending over Rs 22 lakh (Rs 22,41,206) for the judicial probe into the multi-crore scam in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council in 2009-10, the report of the one-man Judicial Inquiry Commission headed by Justice (retd) PG Agarwal is still gathering dust in the District Council Affairs department.
The report pertains to the illegal appointments and financial irregularities of several crores of rupees in GHADC.
An official with the District Council Affairs Department said that the file has come to him and he is currently examining the matter.
In view of the fact that the report was submitted to the District Council Affairs department on December 29 last year, and the delay in examination of the report, action on the report is unlikely to be completed even after the upcoming district council elections due early next year.
Though there were two Assembly sessions, the report was not placed in the Meghalaya Assembly, despite rules that judicial inquiry reports should be placed in the State Assembly within six months of submission of the report.
NPP legislator James Sangma had recently said that the so called announcement of the MUA Government that it is committed to ensure transparency and accountability is mere lip service.
It was the former Deputy Commissioner of West Garo Hills, Sanjay Goyal, who first found out that officials and elected members of the had misused government funds worth several crores of rupees meant of implementation of various schemes. There were also many illegal appointments in the GHADC.
The Judicial Inquiry Commission was entrusted to examine the facts and circumstances leading to the financial instability in GHADC and also to find out the financial irregularities and misappropriation of funds committed by GHADC members.