3-member team to probe peon harassment

SHILLONG: The State Government has set up a three-member committee comprising women officers to probe the allegations of harassment made by the orderly peon against the director of Soil and Water Conservation.
The Principal Secretary of the Soil and Water Conservation Department, R.M Mishra, said justice will be done and action will be taken as per the findings of the committee.
Earlier, the 25-year-old woman and Director D. Langstieh was called by senior officials and their views were taken and accordingly an inquiry was conducted.  Following the report, the Government decided to set up the three-member fact finding committee to probe the matter. A notification in this regard will be out on Friday.
Mishra said the Government has communicated to Langstieh that if the post is not transferrable, the transfer order should be cancelled.
“Since the Government has asked the officer to tell whether the post is transferable or not and if it’s not transferable, the women should be reversed,” he added.
Ronnie’s assurance
The Minister of Soil and Water Conservation, Ronnie Lyngdoh, said on Thursday he would look into the matter as soon as he gets the file.
Speaking to the media at a function, Lyngdoh said the inquiry is on and “we need to listen to both sides of the story”.
When asked whether the woman had complained to him against the director, Lyngdoh admitted that the 25-year-old orderly peon met him after her salary was allegedly withheld by the director of Soil and Water Conservation.
He informed that he had ordered for the release of the salary. It was only later that he came to know that she was transferred to Byrnihat.
Lyngdoh said whatever grievances the peon had, she should have approached him for help.
The woman had alleged that Langstieh tasked her with non-official work and insisted that she stayed at his residence at night. When the woman refused, he withheld her salary and later transferred her.
When Lyngdoh was apprised of the matter, he had reportedly asked Langstieh why did she need to stay at his residence when her house was nearby.