SHILLONG, Nov 14: The Local Fund Audit, which has been assigned with the task of conducting a detailed auditing into the alleged misappropriation of funds in the Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills Autonomous District Councils, will begin its inquiry from next week.
Official sources informed that the Finance department only last week gave approval to the Local Fund Audit to proceed with the special auditing.
It was in September when the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government had asked the Director of the Local Fund Audit (DLFA) to conduct a detailed inquiry into the alleged misappropriation of funds.
However, according to officials, though Government had in September last year asked Director of Local Fund Audit to take on the task but they needed the concurrence of the State Finance department since Finance is the administrative department of the Local Fund Audit and they have been asked to conduct a special audit of the funds in both the councils .
“As per rules, the Local Fund Audit has to take the approval of the Finance Department.,” sources added. The Local Fund Audit has also constituted teams for the audit in both the councils and they would start their work from next week.
When asked how much time it would take to complete the audit, sources said that it would take some time since they have been asked to conduct the audit of funds for the last 10 years in both the councils.
Earlier, Governor Satya Pal Malik had received multiple representations alleging misuse of funds in the two ADCs after which he had sought a response from the Conrad Sangma government to the complaints of funds misappropriation.
Auditing for both councils was ordered after BJP State president Ernest Mawrie had raised the issue of misappropriation of central funds allocated for specific infrastructure development under the two councils.
