Rymbai denies disbursing funds to family members; blames FAO for false RTI report
JOWAI: In a bizarre reaction that defies logic, Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) chief MB Rymbai has alleged that the RTI reports received by the applicant, Arlin Dkhar of Khliehtyrshi, was incorrect and all allegation against him are baseless.
Rymbai even claimed that the RTI reports had been sought just to tarnish his image and to damage his prospects ahead of the forthcoming election.
The JHADC CEM was reacting to the news items appeared in a section of the media on Monday which alleged that Rymbai had misused funds to the tune of Rs.1.18 crore, and disbursed the same to his family members and his staunch supporters.
Rymbai also denied that his family members had received any amount of money as mentioned in the RTI reports.
“I have never rendered any financial assistance or disbursed any grant to my family members,” the JHADC CEM said while interacting with media persons at his office chamber on Monday here.
Rymbai, incidentally, blamed the Finance and Accounts Officer (FAO) of the JHADC for the wrong RTI report.
However, copies of the RTI documents provided by the Public Information Officer (PIO), Finance and Accounts Department, JHADC, which are available with The Shillong Times contradicts the claims of the JHADC chief.
As per the RTI report, the JHADC CEM had recommended all the applications in the name of his brothers Sanbok Rymbai, Kitbok Rymbai, Lasan Rymbai and Mar-oo Rymbai, wife Lewanka Dkhar and mother Tein Rymbai.
All application for discretionary grant and gratuity relief were recommended by MB Rymbai, the then Amwi-Khliehtyrshi MDC.
Rymbai, however, categorically denied the allegations during his interaction with media persons on Monday.
The CEM, further, claimed that the discretionary grant and gratuity relief were equally distributed to all the JHADC constituencies, but the RTI report again contradicts Rymbai’s claims since the grants were released to beneficiaries from his constituency (Amwi-Khliehtyrshi) only, and that too in papers, since none of the people listed as beneficiaries had received the amounts as mentioned in the RTI report.
Rymbai also claimed that he did not release the amount of Rs.43.50 lakh to a resident of Sohmynting village, Coming Pyrtuh. However, the RTI report listed 20 names as beneficiaries and 40 others without any names. Since Coming Pyrtuh’s name appeared in Sl.No.1, the entire amount was withdrawn in his name and the money was received by the JHADC chief himself.
Verification of the RTI documents revealed that the CEM signed the cash book register as recipient of Rs.43.50 lakh, besides in other cases where he has been shown to have received the money.
As per the cash register, a copy of which was provided along with the RTI reply, the CEM had put his signature while receiving the amount of Rs.43.50 lakh in the name of Coming Pyrtuh and 19 others on December 2, 2013. On the same date, Rymbai had again signed the cash book register while withdrawing an amount of Rs.31.50 lakh in the name of Chanki Rymbai of Khliehtyrshi and 19 others.
Meanwhile, in a fresh development, official sources from the JHADC on Monday confirmed that the CEM had appointed six (not four as mentioned in the news report) vice chairmen in different departments under the JHADC with a fixed honorarium of Rs.50,000 per month. (Contd on P-10)
RTI reports false…
(Contd from P-3) As per the notification dated December 19, 2013, Rymbai appointed Heiboklang Suting as the vice chairman of the Boundary Committee. On December 22, former MDC Kornilius Sympli was appointed as Honorary Forest Adviser (equivalent to vice chairman), Nidalam Sungoh as vice chairman of the Planning Board, Rester Kassar as vice chairman of Land Revenue and Land Reform and again on January 31, Queensland Nongrum, sister of Jowai North MDC J Ulysses Nongrum, was appointed as the Vice Chairman of Customary Law Committee.
Interestingly, some of the vice chairmen appointed by the JHADC chief do not posses proper educational qualifications.
“Do you think these vice chairmen have the capacity to make any decisions, suggestions and advice to the Executive Committee for proper functioning of the Council?” questioned a senior staff of the district council, while requesting anonymity.