Rs.5 crore for providing solar street lamps allegedly misappropriated
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, February 062015 :
An amount of Rs.5 crore, sanctioned to light up the village streets through solar lamps, have been allegedly misappropriated by Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department (RD&PR) .
According to a reliable source, the task of lighting up of village streets was taken up by Bharat Electronics under an agreement between Ministry of Defense, Government of India and Manipur Renewable and Development Agency (MANIREDA), Department of Science and Technology, from May, 2011 .
According to the agreement, Bharat Electronics was to install 1, 180 solar lamps along with maintenance for five years.
For the same purpose, the Government of Manipur had given Rs.5 crore, half of the total cost, to the company so as to initiate work in 2009-10.After completion of the installation of solar lamps and maintaining the lamps for five years, the company asked the relevant authority to released the remaining five crore.
According to sources, the remaining amount, another Rs.5 crore was cleared by Finance Department to be handed over to the company through Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department (RD&PR).
However, it has been alleged that the then Minister in charge and some officials of the department handed over the amount to another company to install solar street lamps without bothering to inquire why and for which purpose the amount was sanctioned to the department.
It is said that MANIREDA sent repeated reminders to RD&PR informing that the amount was not to be utilized by the department.
Till the filing of this report, the amount remains unpaid to be company and during the period, officials of the company have made repeated visits to Manipur and urged the State Government to clear the amount which was due.
Surprisingly, Vigilance Department and people holding responsible positions in the Government did not bother to investigate the irregularity.
Dismayed with the Government's silence, the company has decided to take legal course to recover the amount.
Also, repeated reminders by Finance Department to RD&PR to return the amount met with no response.