SHILLONG: The public accounts committee (PAC) is currently awaiting a report from the state chief secretary on the action taken against the erring officials of various departments who defaulted according to observations made by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.
Talking to media persons here on Thursday, PAC member, HM Shangpliang said the committee had in its first meeting summoned the chief secretary and principal secretary of the finance department to ask them about the recommendations of the committee for action against some erring officials of different departments as per the CAG report.
The committee had served one month to the chief secretary to examine the paragraphs identified by the CAG where default was found and the committee is awaiting a report from the chief secretary in this regard.
He said the PAC was a very powerful committee and it could go to the extent of filing FIRs if it observed any malpractices or defaults.
Meanwhile, the committee on Thursday summoned officials of the mining and geology department and PWD to seek their response on the unutilised drilling rig worth lakhs of rupees.
The chairman of the committee, Charles Pyngrope told reporters that the PAC took up an issue where a drilling rig worth Rs 44.20 lakh, provided by the Indian Bureaus of Mines to the department for carrying out drilling operations, is lying unutilised for over three years.
Apparently a machine to drill was required by the department of mineral resources and through the North East Assistance Programme, the Indian Bureau of Mines provided a vehicle drilling rig to the department.
According to Pyngrope, it was observed by the department that the drilling rig which was given to the department was not the one they were looking for and they accordingly wrote to the Indian Bureau of Mines either to replace it or take it back.
“From the replies of the department, it has been observed that the lapses were more from the Indian Bureau of Mines than the department,” Pyngrope said.
Another PAC member, Zenith Sangma said the departments have been asked to come up with an extensive report in the next meeting.
