Staff reporter
DIPHU, Mar 10: The Karbi Students’ Association (KSA) had accused the KAAC authority, concerned officials and other concerned “individuals looted crores of rupees in the name of supply of desks, benches, football, steel rack and skipping rope during the covid-19 pandemic.”
“Sanction/Release Order No. KAAC/PED/Pt-1/A/A/2020-21, Date 3.7.2020 for the supply of materials was sanctioned with an amount of Rs. 7,99,89,000/- (Rupees Seven crores ninety-nine lakhs eighty-nine thousand). Now, any layman can validate to the fact that the supply of those materials in different schools never took place during the covid-19 pandemic when schools remained closed,” said KSA AGS Ajay Rongchehon during a press meeting convened today.
Rongchehon said that they had carried out random surveys at various schools in West Karbi Anglong and found out that most of the schools denied receiving the materials as recorded to have been received by them. They were made to sign the receipt of materials ‘under duress’.
“The so-called supply of materials of (a) 6853 pair desks & benches at Rs. 5.13 crores, (b) 2691 nos. of steel racks at Rs. 1.74 crores hardly reached its destination if investigated properly and (c) 2600 nos. of football at Rs. 52 lakhs and (d) 29500 nos. of skipping rope at Rs. 59 lakhs most likely vanished in thin air. One must question the unnecessary supply of football and skipping rope at a whopping Rs. 1.11 crores when our Karbi students are staying as slaves for their studies in the plain districts. The money could have been utilized to fund their studies in Karbi Anglong. But these corrupt people are so selfish that they will build their homes at the cost of the future of the poor students and Karbi Anglong,” added Rongchehon.
The organisation had vehemently condemned the misuse of govt. fund and play with the future of the students. They question KAAC CEM Tuliram Ronghang over his silence in the issue.
“CEM Ronghang’s involvement cannot be ruled out in the misuse of funds based on his silence on the corrupt practices,” charged Rongchehon.
KSA informed that the firms and contractors involved in the supply of materials were M/S V Traders, M/S RS Enterprise, M/S Karni Enterprise, Dhaniram Rongphar, Sanjay Malakar, M/S L. Infotech, Dhaniram Rongphar, Hardin Teron, Bikramsing Rongpi, Longmir Teron, Babusing Timung, Mohendra Konwar and Mangal Sing Ronghang. The organisation demanded that these persons must be brought under inquiry and arrested if found involved in the corruption.
“We shall make sure the offenders go to jail. Concerned officials and individuals must be brought to book and punished. We will take democratic agitation if necessary. We are dead serious about putting the corrupt behind bars,” concluded Rongchehon.
It may be mentioned that quality of materials supplied in govt. schools are always compromised by the suppliers. This leads to the early damage of the materials and govt. are needed to supply the same materials year after year.