Govt asked to weed out corrupt babus

Guwahati, May 30: Assam Public Works, an NGO, today urged the BJP-led alliance government in Assam to remove "corrupt elements" from bureaucracy.

The organisation alleged that the Congress government, during its tenure of 15 years (2001-2016), had built a network of corruption comprising ministers, legislators and officials.

"To function properly, the government needs to first identify the corrupt officials who had benefited because they have built a network of corruption and that will remain despite the change in the ministry. So a bureaucratic reshuffle is necessary," APW chief Abhijeet Sharma told reporters here today.

Sharma named three officials against whom a case was pending in the Court of the Special Judge, Assam, regarding alleged embezzlement of central funds to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore in the state agriculture department.

"A case was filed on August 7 last year against Kabindra Borkotoky, Majam Ali Akand and Upen Bora regarding a scam worth Rs 28 crore. There is also an enforcement directorate case against Kailash Chandra Talukdar in the Court of the Special Judge regarding the embezzlement of Rs 700 crore of central funds. Action should be taken against these persons," said Sharma.

He said the court had on March 30 passed an order directing Rajib Deka, complainant in the case against the three officials and also publicity secretary of the APW, to obtain sanctions for prosecution against the trio.

He said accordingly Deka had written to chief secretary V.K. Pipersenia on April 7, requesting him to take steps to accord the sanction for prosecution by the competent authority.

"But the chief secretary has not sanctioned prosecution yet," Sharma said, pointing out that Pipersenia was agriculture production commissioner during the time the Rs 3,000-crore scam took place in the department. The alleged scam is said to be the largest in the state.

The alleged case came to light after the crime investigating department registered a case regarding funds misappropriation in the state agriculture department to the tune of Rs 700 crore based on the group's FIR.

The Enforcement Directorate took on the case in March last year.

Though the embezzled amount in the FIR is Rs 700 crore, the Enforcement Directorate later found the amount could be as high as Rs 3,000 crore.