Shillong: Meghalaya Power Minister James Sangma on Tuesday rubbished reports of irregularities in implementing the Saubhagya Scheme in the state and warned of strict action against those responsible for “leakage” of a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which appeared in a section of the press.
“We will be inquiring into this matter and strict action will be taken against officers who inquiring into this matter and strict action will be taken against whoever the concerned officer or officers are who are responsible for the leakage of the document,” Sangma said in regard to a reports in a section of the media.
“If you look at the CAG report it clearly mentioned that it’s confidential until it’s placed on the table of the House. This report has not found its way to the assembly as of now,” the Power Minister told reporters.
“This is a very serious matter pertaining to leakage of a confidential document and it would appear that this is a case here and this is a matter which the government is very concerned about,” he asserted.
“We will be inquiring into this matter and strict action will be taken against whoever the concerned officer or officers are who are responsible for the leakage of the document. We will constitute an inquiry into the matter and we will be able to get to the root of the matter very soon,” the Speaker asserted.
“The breach of discipline is one of them and this is a serious offence which will also have very serious punishments. Since we believe in transparency and accountability the government has constituted an inquiry committee which is independent in nature,” he informed.
Denying any wrongdoings in implementing the Saubhagya scheme in the state which aims to provide electricity to poor households, Sangma maintained that the Opposition Congress “should be more responsible before calling everything a scam”.
“If everything is a scam, by that yardstick what the previous governments have done can also be categorised as scams,” the Power Minister said.
On the Congress objections to the change of the CMD of the MeECL, Sangma said that the decision was because an inquiry commission has been constituted to make sure that the “independent inquiry is independent in every sense”.
“The CMD being the head of the Corporation cannot be there,” the Power Minister pointed out.
“Actually, I have found it amusing on the comment of the opposition wherein they have said the Expression of Interest which we have floated bringing about more power generations in the state is also a scam. Everything that the government tries to do or bring a solution about the improvement in power sector is categorized as scam. The opposition has to be responsible. I have always said that I welcome criticism,” he said, adding that it makes democracy vibrant.
