SHILLONG: The Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) has been accused of misusing over Rs 100-crore Central fund meant for development of the region and non-transparency in allotting contracts for several projects.
Members of several pressure groups have written to Denang T. Sangma, the CEM of GHADC, about the Council’s “dubious way” of using the Rs 100.71 crore that was disbursed by the Centre around a month ago.
The groups- GSU, ADE, AYWO, FAF and FKJGP – accused the GHADC of duplicity of completed schemes. The Council issued a summary of the projects that were implemented using the Central money in the ‘Abstract of Schemes of the GHADC Volume 1: Creation and maintenance of Assets for 2016-16′.
However, the pressure groups alleged that there was neither any advertisements for the contract works nor tenders were floated for the projects mentioned in the abstract.
“Almost every person we spoke to, from clerks, peons to officers, said no tender was floated in the office or in newspapers. We have information that a tender committee was formed on October 24 but the abstract mentions that the same was formed on October 14,” the letter stated. The Committee was formed after the Council realised that it had committed a faux pas in not following the procedure, it added.
It also mentioned that the opposition parties in the Council had protested against “gross violation” of NITI Aayog guidelines in projects like construction of a member’s hostel in Tura, construction of taxation office building and extension of the shopping complexes at Tura Bazar and Hawakhana. The NITI Aayog guidelines say the District Council Level Committee (DCLC), comprising the MDCs and the department heads of GHADC, must submit recommendations to the State Level Committee (SLC) for approval so that state and Central schemes are implemented in a convergence manner.
However, the projects mentioned in the Council’s abstract were cleared in two or three weeks without detailed study, the pressure groups alleged. They also sought to know who the members of the DCLC as well as the SLC were. “The GHADC should provide these details if there is no scam,” the letter demanded.
The guidelines also say that SLC should ensure coverage of all villages under the development schemes, but major project proposals of DCLC are for Tura and only minor projects have been allotted to the villages of Garo Hills, the groups alleged.
Allegations of duplicity of projects have also been levelled against the GHADC.
“The GHADC said an additional guest house is coming up in Shillong for Rs 81 lakh. As far as we know the Council does not own any other plot in Shillong. So where is the additional building coming up? And wall fencing around the Shillong guest house at a cost of Rs 11 lakh is also interesting,” said Tengsak Gabil Momin, president of the GSU’s Tura unit.
“The taxation office that GHADC has mentioned in its abstract was completed under the 13th Finance. When enquired about this, the Council’s secretary said the staff quarters would be razed to build a new taxation office. We would like to know how work on a small area, and that too without a retaining wall, will cost around Rs 2 crore,” said Momin.
Also, there is no clarity on how the shopping complex in Tura will be extended with the addition of two more storeys because as per the urban building laws, the GHADC can raise only four storeys. “They must be using high quality marbles and precious gems in the complex to spend more than Rs 1 crore on it,” said John Miltu, general secretary of GSU’s Tura unit.
The pressure group said the members’ hostel building is already there in Tura and probably more than Rs 6 crore will be used to build a new one. “A part of the fund (Rs 45 crore) has already been withdrawn and disbursed to the contractors even before work has begun. This means, the remaining amount (around Rs 55 crore) is still in the account. We need information about the accounts maintained by the District Council,” the groups demanded.
GSU and the other groups wondered how Chief Secretary K.S Kropha, who heads the SLC, approved the proposals without confirmation and full information. “We demand that the GHADC immediately stop withdrawal of money from the Central ‘one- time special assistance’ for 2015-16 till the questions are answered to avoid a potential scam,” they demanded.
