SHILLONG, July 9: Amidst the mounting pressure for a CBI probe into the irregularities in the implementation of Saubhagya scheme, Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma seems to be in no mood to refer the alleged scam to the central investigation agency for a probe.
Reacting to a query about the demand for a CBI probe into the matter, Sangma said that the state government has already instituted an independent inquiry into the matter and demands like these are undermining the independence of the inquiry. The Committee should be allowed to function independently, he stated.
The Chief Minister also downplayed the growing demand for removing James Sangma from the Power department saying the inquiry is independent in nature and MeECL is an autonomous body, adding the government does not interfere in the day-to-day function of the Corporation.
“The question of removing the Power Minister does not arise as we are awaiting the inquiry report. We will see how things move forward,” he added.
Following pressure, the state government recently instituted an independent inquiry which has been given a time frame of three months to complete the probe.
The Committee has been asked to conduct its first meeting on Monday or Tuesday and all the requirements like office space and staff has been made available for the inquiry commission.
The three-member commission is headed by retired Allahabad High Court judge Ifaqat Ali Khan, Manoj Kumar (retired IAS) as administrative member and Sunil Kumar (retired executive director, Rural Electrification Corporation Ltd, REC) as technical member.
The Commission will inquire into, record findings and make recommendations concerning several aspects of functioning of MeECL and its three subsidiary companies and the inquiry will cover the period from April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2021 on major procurements.
Reacting to a recent preliminary AG audit which revealed an alleged scam of Rs 149 crore in the Saubhagya scheme, the Chief Minister said that during auditing, CAG time and again seeks clarification from all the departments and they accordingly reply to the audit team.
“The audit report should not have leaked out and it is not a healthy trend. Evidently somebody has leaked the document and the government will try to find out how it happened,” the Chief Minister quipped.
