SHILLONG, July 7: Pressure groups in the state have demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged scam in the implementation of the Saubhagya scheme in the state.
The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) on Wednesday petitioned Chief Minister, Conrad K. Sangma for constituting a CBI probe into the Rs 149-crore scam as revealed in an interim audit report.
Four other pressure groups — Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF) and Ri-Bhoi Youth Federation (RBYF) – echoed the HYC. They issued a joint statement demanding a CBI inquiry since the “people of the state need to know the truth” behind the implementation of the Saubhagya scheme.
FKJGP general secretary, Dundee C. Khongsit said irregularities in the Saubhagya scheme were an open secret and added that the Meghalaya Electric Corporation Limited (MeECL) is yet to respond to the RTIs they had filed on the implementation of the scheme.
HYC president, Robertjune Kharjahrin stated in the letter to the Chief Minister that the Centre had in October 2017 launched the “Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana – Saubhagya scheme” with an aim to provide electricity to all households in rural and urban areas across the country. “The state government agreed to join the scheme and the same was launched in the state in April 2018 with an aim for 100% electrification of all households in the state,” he said.
Kharjahrin observed that the implementation of the scheme in the state has been marred with allegations of corruption, manipulations and favouritism in the whole process of award of contract at inflated rates and other issues from the very beginning.
“However, the state government had, time and again, refuted and rejected the allegations,” the HYC president said.
Referring to the interim audit report accessed by The Shillong Times, Kharjahrin termed it as a serious observation coming from a constitutional authority.
He said the interim audit report underlined irregularities in the award of the contract for the scheme thereby causing a loss of Rs 149.12 crore to the state besides providing undue favours to a particular company.
“The preliminary observations made by the office of the CAG is very serious and casts a doubt on the proper and clean implementation of the Saubhagya scheme and hence requires an investigation by the premiere agency of the country, i.e., the CBI exclusively for the Saubhagya scheme and to initiate appropriate actions as per law against anyone found guilty of an offence,” Kharjahrin said.
He insisted that the state government should not be given the responsibility of probing the scam.
Kharjahrin also said Power Minister, James K. Sangma should be relieved of the portfolio for the inquiry committee to conduct a fair probe into the affairs of the MeECL.
“This is required given the fact that the Power Department is also an interested party in the ‘alleged’ scam and multiple irregularities. It is but fair that the Power Minister should be relieved of his portfolio,” the HYC stated.
Kharjahrin further said the former CMD of MeECL, Arunkumar Kembhavi should also be removed from the post of Director (Finance) of the corporation and not to be appointed in any capacity in the MeECL or its subsidiaries or in the Power Department.
The FKJGP general secretary said the interim audit report was concrete evidence of the glaring irregularities in the MeECL.
“It clearly reflects that undue favour was given to an outside firm implementing the programme. Action should be taken against the people who are responsible for the scam if the final audit report of the CAG confirms the irregularities in the implementation of the Saubhagya scheme. There is no need for any more inquiry once the final audit report confirms the scam,” Khongsit said.
Recalling their meeting with the Power Minister on this matter, he said Sangma had defended the decision to implement this centrally-sponsored scheme as a turnkey project since guidelines say it has to be implemented in a time-bound manner to ensure there is no cost escalation.
“But the decision to implement the Saubhagya scheme as a turnkey project has been done with some ulterior motive,” he said.
According to Khongsit, some stringent action needs to be taken to ensure that other centrally sponsored schemes do not face a similar fate.
He said the independent inquiry is just an eye-wash and an attempt to buy time since they do not have any faith in the people who are heading the inquiry.
“We insisted that the state government should hand over the inquiry to the CBI,” Khongsit added.
