GUWAHATI, Nov 30 – The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) today asked Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to resign from his post taking moral responsibility of the unprecedented fund anomalies in the NC Hills district.
The AGP also alleged the involvement of the Chief Minister in the multi-crore-rupees scam.
The party leader Chandra Mohan Patowary presented before the media some parts of the special inspection report of the CAG covering 26 months from the year 2007-08 to June 12, 2009 in the hills district. The contents of the audit report shows that excess fund over budgetary provisions were released by the State Government to the autonomous council. Significantly, the audit report covers only eight out of the total 30 departments of the autonomous council.
According to the Finance Department of the State Government, Rs 151 crore, Rs 40 lakh and Rs 11 thousand were released to the Council’s eight departments within the 26 months. But the audit team has found that Rs 424 crore 4 lakh 43 thousand has been released by the State government, which is Rs 272 crore 64 lakh and 23 thousand more than the account presented by the Government.
“There was nothing on record to show whether any supplementary grant was provided or any re-appropriation was made. Reasons for release of excess fund by the State government over the budgetary provisions were fraught with the risk of mis-utilization/misappropriation of the fund,” the report mentioned.
“If such large-scale fund irregularity can take place within a short span in just eight departments, the magnitude of the scam would be certainly shocking from the year 2001 till date,” Patowary said.
“Moreover, if such audit of all the districts is done thoroughly, it would definitely bring forth the real face of the State Government, which propagates itself as a development-oriented government,” he added.
“Since Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is also in charge of the Finance Department of the State, such a big misappropriation cannot take place without his knowledge. Thus, there is every reason to conclude that he is also deeply involved in the whole episode,” he further added.
The AGP also alleged that despite having the report, the State Government neither replied to the CAG nor did it take up the matter with the council, which speaks volumes about its intent. The money to be spent for development of the State and its people was swindled by the government and its ministers.
“Though the Rs 1,000-crore scam in NC Hills district was widely publicized, the Government, especially the Chief Minister, insisted that such a big amount was never released for the Council. Now that there are definite proofs of the scam, Tarun Gogoi should resign immediately,” said Patowary.
