SHILLONG: Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh has dismissed the misappropriation charges leveled against him by an RTI activist and also rubbished links of vandalism of the latter’s house with the case.
RTI activist Curtis Rani has accused the Home Minister of misusing MLA and MDC schemes in Sohiong by channeling the funds for constructing a road on his residence premises and for establishing Meribon K.H Memorial College in Sohiong which was funded by his trust.
“The allegation that I misused schemes in Sohiong is not true,” Lyngdoh asserted.
However, he admitted that a college (Meribon K.H Memorial College), run by the HDR Educational Trust was set up at Sohiong and inaugurated by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma last year.
“The construction of the college started only in 2014 and the college building was completed in 2016. All the members of the Trust had contributed for the project and we also sought support from all sources. Rajya Sabha MP Wansuk Syiem contributed Rs 25 lakh (for the project) in 2014-15,” Lyngdoh said adding that land for the college was also donated by an individual. Lyngdoh further claimed that in 2016, the principal of the college requested the chief minister to provide some fund for construction of retaining walls to avoid erosion of the land, which is located beside a river, and metalling and black topping of the road to the college.
“The fund was used for this purpose. There has been no misuse. The allegations are baseless,” Lyngdoh said even as he slammed Rani for trading charges without having his facts in place.
He added that the road to his house was built in 2011. When asked about the damage done to the under-construction house of the RTI activist, Lyngdoh feigned ignorance and added that he came to know of the incidents from newspaper reports.
