CBI hill ambit extended

Guwahati, Sept. 25: Dispur has decided to hand over all cases of alleged financial irregularities and misappropriation of funds in Dima Hasao district (formerly North Cachar Hills) to the CBI for a thorough investigation.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi told reporters here today that the state government had taken the decision following the special audit it had instituted through the accountant-general (AG) whose reports submitted on September 23 found financial irregularities in various departments under the NC Hills Autonomous Council.

Gogoi’s announcement is significant as the Opposition has been demanding that the government extend the ambit of the CBI probe instead of restricting it to a few departments.

An official said the Assam government had earlier instituted the CBI probe on the basis of the one conducted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which found that funds meant for the NC Hills Autonomous Council were diverted to the coffers of militant outfits.

“The CBI is currently investigating specific cases of five departments of the autonomous council — PWD, social welfare, agriculture, soil conservation and public health engineering — where government funds went to militant outfits,” the official said.

A national weekly magazine had carried a report alleging that the NIA report had mentioned the names of seven Assam ministers, a Congress MP, an MLA and a former governor regarding the misuse of development funds meant for the NC Hills Autonomous Council.

After the report was published, AGP leaders met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and demanded a CBI probe into the scam.

The official said since the AG report had found overall financial irregularities in eight departments — health, education and tourism apart from the five being probed into by the CBI — the government had decided to ask the CBI for a thorough investigation.

Gogoi said since his government was always in favour of punishing those involved in the alleged scam in the hill district and had never tried to protect the guilty, it had decided to entrust the CBI with a thorough investigation.

“The AGP is only expert in criticising the Congress instead of doing something constructive for the state. AGP leader Chandra Mohan Patowary sees wrong in everything that the Congress does,” he added.

On the recent controversy over submission of nominations by two senior ministers for the post of the PCC president, Gogoi said he believed in an election for the post.

“But whoever will be the president of the party, I will have to do everything,” he said, making it clear that he was the boss in the government and in the party.