Report on North-East scams

BJP report on North-East scams
Thousands of crores swindled in the name of development
By Pramod Kumar

EVERY individual in Damin, a revenue circle in Kurung Kumey District of Arunachal Pradesh, consumed at least 24 kg of salt per month. This salt was ‘distributed’ through Public Distribution System (PDS). Similarly, in Koloriang circle of the same State, every individual consumed 64 kg of rice per month. Under the Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojna (SGRY) scheme in the State, a bill of Rs 2.31 crore was raised for lifting just 2,500 quintals load to cover a 5 km distance. In Manipur, more than Rs 300 crore were spent on cleaning the Loktak Lake. The firm to which the contract was awarded was found dubious and is reportedly owned by Manipur Chief Minister’s nephew. The hydro power scam of Arunachal Pradesh alone is another 2G scam.

These are some of the incidents of grave corruption that have been recorded by BJP’s Fact Finding Committee in its report which was presented to party president Shri Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi on February 12. The Committee pegged the total value of the scams in north-east at around a whopping Rs 58,000 crore including Rs 20,000 crore kickbacks in Arunachal Pradesh alone.

Shri Gadkari had appointed this three-member Committee to probe in to various scams of north-east last year. The team comprising of vice president Smt Bijoya Chakravorty, general secretary Shri Tapir Gao and national secretary Dr Kirit Somaiya visited Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and other parts of the region to unearth and document various scams. They submitted a preliminary report at party’s National Executive Meeting in Guwahati on January 9 this year.

After going through the whole report it appears that when the country was busy in discussing Congress loot in 2G spectrum, Commonwealth Games, Adarsh Housing Society, etc, away from the limelight it was indeed raining corruption in north-eastern states. All the seven sisters and Sikkim were witnessing systematic loot of the State exchequer by politicians in power and the officials in all these states.

In all, the Committee recorded 50 different major scams in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Nagaland. It said the projects worth Rs 4,00,000 crore were given in non-transparent manners in the region. The maximum corruption was reported in hydro power projects. Direct MOUs were signed and highly technical projects of hundreds of crore rupees were allotted to newly formed companies with NIL experience in Arunachal Pradesh. A total of 137 MOU/MOA’s were signed by Dorji Khandu government in 2 years.

In the report, Assam was described the most corrupt State on the basis of corruption in 11 vital services as also exposed by Transparency International and Centre for Media Study in their joint study. These 11 services included ‘basic services’ like PDS, hospital service, school education, electricity and water supply services and ‘need-based services’ like land records, registration, housing service, forest, NREGA, banking service and police service. "The total bribe involved in a year in BPL households availing the 11 services is estimated at Rs 8,830 crore. This is the condition of the State from where the Prime Minister of the country (Dr Manmohan Singh) is elected," the report said.

It is not that these scams remained unnoticed. All the investigative agencies, regulators, authorities, social activists, NGOs, opposition parties raised questions and concern about them. Courts also passed orders, CAG passed strictures in its reports, CVC and SIT (Special Investigative Team appointed by the Court) and media also castigated the authorities.

"The Congress leaders manipulated PDS not only in Assam but also in Arunachal Pradesh and other states. Its costs the region over Rs 3,000 crore. The NIA unearthed a scam of Rs 1,000 crore in North Cachar Hills Autonomous District Council. Seven ministers and several bureaucrats have been identified by the NIA as the beneficiaries of the scam. Rs 13.45 crore cash was recovered by the CBI from the house of one of the Ministers," the report says.

Arunachal Pradesh witnessed the country’s biggest PDS scandal. Former Congress Chief Minister Gegong Apang along with 96 other ruling party leaders and officials were found involved in black marketing of PDS foodgrains. In this Rs 1,000 crore fraud, the former CM was arrested by the Special Investigation Cell constituted by the Guwahati High Court. The list of accused in this case also includes Pema Khandu, the son of present CM Dorjee Khandu, Jarkar Gamlin who is sitting MLA and brother of Cabinet Minister Jarbom Gamlin. It is intriguing to know that out of 96 accused not a single, except former CM Apang, has been arrested so far. The SGRY scam and Hydro power allotment of the State are also catching attention of the courts. There are also scams in the mines and mineral allotments, construction of dams, implementation of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban

Renewal Mission (JNNURM), food control and distribution, police recruitment and even drinking water. "Instead of providing employment to poor, the Khandu Government gave transport contract to Chief Minister’s wife’s company," the report said. The Committee also found Nayuma Cable, owned by the family of Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, involved in an Entertainment Tax scam wherein the firm acknowledged 2,200 cable subscribers, but deposited tax for only 170 of them for several years in row. The Sikkim Government also gave contract for supply of TB medicine to the families of Ministers, who in turn supplied substandard medicines. There are also shoe scam, Khadi Board scam Kanchendzonga tourist Villa scam, fraudulent bank deposit scam, etc. in the State.

Receiving the Report in New Delhi Shri Nitin Gadkari deplored the massive atmosphere of corruption in North-Eastern States under the Congress rule there. He said on one hand the Congress president Sonia Gandhi makes declarations of intent to curb corruption, on the other hand the states ruled by Congress Party, especially in the North-East, are openly indulging in loot of public wealth.

The BJP has sought the constitution of special courts to speed up the judiciary process and to punish the scamsters. Demanding special audit of all these scams, and speedy and coordinated investigation by NIA, CBI and other agencies, the BJP stressed on time-bound action by the Government on the observations/strictures of Courts, CAG and other investigative agencies. The Party also demanded seizing the property of the scamsters to recover the public money from them. Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Smt Sushma Swaraj and Shri Arun Jaitley respectively are expected to meet Prime Minister in this regard while Shri Nitin Gadkari would personally lead a delegation to the President to submit this report.

Major scams of North-East

NC Hills Scam: Assam
Subsidy (transport) Scam: Assam
Irrigation Scam: Assam
Guwahati Municipal Corporation Scam: Assam
Guwahati Urban Development (JNNURM) Scam: Assam
Police Constable Recruitment Scam: Assam
Teachers Appointments Scam: Assam
National Highway Scam: Assam
PDS Scam of Rs 1,000 crore: Assam
Flood Control Scam: Assam
Fake/Fraudulent Payments Scam: Assam
SGRY Funds Scam: Assam
NREGA Funds Misappropriation Scam: Assam
Rural Development Fund Embezzlement Scam: Assam
Hydro Power Scam: Arunachal
SGRY Scam: Arunachal Pradesh
PDS Scam of Rs 1,000 crore: Arunachal Pradesh
Mines & Mineral Allotment Scam: Arunachal Pradesh
Drinking Water Mission Scam: Arunachal Pradesh
Hydro Power Projects Scam: Arunachal Pradesh
PDS Scam: Arunachal Pradesh
Public Private Partnership scam: Arunachal Pradesh
NREGA Scam: Arunachal Pradesh
Siphoning of Entertainment Tax: Sikkim
Scam of Nayuma Cable (NC): Sikkim
Fraudulent fire to declare burning of 25,000 pairs of shoes meant for poor children: Sikkim
Smuggling of Red Sandalwood to China: Sikkim
Sikkim Power Development Corporation Scam: Sikkim
Ranka Tourist Villa Scam: Sikkim
Sikkim Khadi Board Fraud: Sikkim
Kanchandzonga Tourist Villa Scam: Sikkim
TB Medicine Scam: Sikkim
Fake/Stolen Bank Deposits Scam: Sikkim
Rs 150 crore Fraudulent Bank Deposit Scam: Sikkim
Hydero Power Scam: Sikkim
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana Scam: Sikkim
SGRY Scam: Sikkim
NREGA Scam: Sikkim
Midday Meal Scam: Sikkim
PDS Scam: Sikkim
Rajiv Gandhi Vidyutikaran Scam: Sikkim
Loktak Lake Cleaning Scam: Manipur
Teachers Appointment Scam: Manipur
Road Construction Scam: Manipur
Big Dam/Irrigation Scam: Mizoram
Cement Land Scam: Meghalaya
North-East Subsidy Scam
AIBP Scam: Nagaland
Rural Infrastructure Development Fund Scam: Nagaland
NREGA Scam: Nagaland