RTI activist suspects fund misuse by MSPCL
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, July 16 2022:
While contending that Manipur State Power Company Limited (MSPCL) failed to provide information sought through Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005, RTI activist Wahengbam Joykumar said that misusing huge public fund is a kind of corruption and urged the chief minister to look into the matter.
Speaking to media persons at Manipur Press Club here on Saturday, Joykumar informed that oh May 23 he sought information from MSPCL through RTI about 33 KV feeders and 33 KV bay wire connection from power grid to Yurembam sub-station as well as 33/11 KV line tapped installation at Khongnang Paisabi village under RGGVY as the information were not in the public domain.
Though authority concerned should provide information sought through RTI within a month, MSPCL failed to share the information sought even after a month, he maintained.
Upon enquiring with the higher authorities about the issue, they replied that MSPCL is not related with any of the two works and there is no record on the same.
On the contrary, through report from sources, it was found that a sum of Rs 21,18,00,000 was withdrawn for wire connection from power grid to Yurembam substation and Rs 3,31,00,000 m connection with 33/11 KV line tapped installation at Khongnang Paisabi village, the RTI activist pointed out.
Questioning why MSPCL did not provide information regarding the two works, Joykumar wondered whether there is any trouble in providing the information and further expressed suspicion of higher authorities misusing the public fund.
He asserted that misusing public fund is a type of a corruption and urged the chief minister to look into the matter and punish all the wrongdoers involved.
Or else, the statement of CM on eradicating corruption and making the governance transparent will be in vain and anti-corruption cell will simply be there for namesake only, he added.
There is rising apprehension that several departments of the state are misusing funds provided by central government, Joykumar alleged, while urging all to take responsibility for bringing out wrongdoings in government departments and finding out all those involved in misusing public money.