Guwahati, May 11: The Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has rejected a plea to make chief minister Tarun Gogoi, power minister Pradyut Bordoloi and food and civil supplies minister Nazrul Islam respondents in a case registered on the basis of a petition filed by AGP leader Jagadish Bhuyan yesterday.

Holding the ministers responsible for the current power crisis, price rise and shortage of cooking gas in the state, Bhuyan had urged the commission to make them respondents in the case.

The copy of the order issued today said: “After perusing the complaint it has been found that the complainant has made the chief minister, power minister and civil supplies minister responsible for the problems. This contention is not tenable and acceptable to the commission.”

However, the commission took cognisance of the hardship caused to people owing to acute power shortage, price rise and LPG crisis. It directed the chairman of the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) to submit a report on the prevailing power crisis, mentioning the steps taken by the board to mitigate the suffering of consumers and ways to avoid a similar situation in future, within 21 days.

On price rise and the LPG crisis, the rights panel asked the commissioner and secretary of food and civil supplies department to conduct an inquiry into the issues raised by the complaint. The commissioner and secretary have also been asked to inform the commission about the steps taken for checking price rise of essential commodities, including short-term and long-term measures, within 21 days.

J.P. Chaliha, a member of the commission, today said the commission declined the plea because it only has the mandate to take up matters regarding violation of human rights by public servants.

According to him, the rights panel does not have the legal mandate to inquire against complaints against ministers or elected representatives.

Bhuyan, who filed the petition in his personal capacity, said the present shortfall of 450MW of power is causing immense hardship to the people and violating their right to life.

He alleged that the state government had made no effort to check skyrocketing prices of essential commodities.

The AGP leader attributed the shortage of LPG cylinders to unscrupulous practices and black-marketing and accused the food and civil supplies department of remaining a passive spectator to it.