The Shillong Times: Shillong: Thursday,
March 23, 2017.
An FIR was
filed on Wednesday before the Chief Vigilance Commissioner against UDP member
Paul Lyngdoh after an RTI reply revealed that the MLA has allegedly misused
public fund to the tune of Rs 55.80 lakh.
Interestingly,
those who filed the RTI query were Lyngdoh’s former supporters. But they denied
any political agenda in filing the RTI and the subsequent FIR.
The scheme in
question is the Special Urban Work Programme (SUWP) in which Rs 55.80 lakh
public fund was allegedly misappropriated.
The FIR was
handed to Chief Secretary KS Kropha as he is the Chief Vigilance Commissioner.
A copy of the
FIR was forwarded to Assembly Speaker.
“As per
findings under the RTI Act, 2005, obtained from the Shillong Municipal Board,
Lyngdoh has deliberately misappropriated public fund in the supply of numerous
utility items to his constituents in which the materials supplied and invoices
raised thereafter do not match,” the FIR stated.
Addressing a
press conference, Michael Pakyntein, a former supporter of Lyngdoh, said, “The
receipts submitted to the Shillong Municipal Board were fake, which is
reflected in the declarations made by respective shop owners.”
He added at
least three shop owners denied that the materials were supplied by them and
they have given their statement in writing as well.
The
proprietor of DR Enterprise on Thana Road, in a letter, has denied that his
shop sold Neelkamal plastic chairs worth Rs 18.90 lakh to the Chairman of
Implementation Committee in West Shillong.
The
shopkeeper went on to say someone had misused his cash memo by forging his
handwriting and signature. The RTI reply
showed that under SUWP 2014-15, 2,000 plastic chairs were purchased for Rs
18.90 lakh on May 27, 2014; water tanks and tarpaulins were bought for Rs 19.80
lakh and cooking vessels at Rs 17 lakh.
But respective shopkeepers denied supplying
the items.
It was also
alleged that Lyngdoh bought blankets at Rs 12 lakh. Documents show that each blanket
was bought at Rs 375. “However, the market rate for the same is Rs 150. In this
case, the misused amount comes to the tune of Rs 7.20 lakh,” another resident
of Mawprem, Rishan Nongsiej, said.