Gangtok, June 11 2009: The State government has set up a commission to address three key issues which has been haunting it- local employment pattern in private companies including hydro electric projects, mega crore scam by dubious financial institutions and accidental deaths in power project works.

The commission will make an inquiry into violations of the agreements or licensing conditions by the various hydro electric projects, pharmaceutical companies and other industrial units operating in the State.

As per a notification issued today, the State government has appointed retired justice RK Patra as the head of the 'Commission of Inquiry'.

Mr.Patra is also the chairman of the State law commission.

The 'commission of inquiry' will conduct a probe into 'any violations of the terms of agreement or licensing conditions' relating to local employment by the various hydro electric projects, pharmaceutical companies and other industrial units in the State.

The commission has been tasked to submit a report to the State government within the next three months on the local employment pattern in the private companies that has set up their bases in Sikkim.

Employment to local persons in the hydro projects, pharmaceutical companies and other private industries have been strongly underlined by the State government while issuing licences or entering into agreements.

However, various organizations have been claiming that employment pattern of the local people in these companies have been minimal and mostly in lower categories and the report to be submitted by the inquiry commission will be crucial.

The commission will also conduct an inquiry into the 'loss of deposits' in private finance companies and non banking financial institutions operating in the State.

It may be added here that thousands of people here have lost crores of rupees after investing in fraud financial institutions in the past couple of years and the State government had received a lot of criticism from the people and political parties.

The commission has been tasked to submit a report to the State government in the next six months on such loss of deposits by the general public where it will be suggesting steps to 'avoid recurrence of such losses in future, recovery of the money deposited by members of public with such institutions and its equitable distribution amongst the depositors'.

The commission will also be probing the cause of accidents in the various hydro power projects in the State during the last 2 years and recommend measures to avoid such accidents in future.

The deaths of ten labourers working for a private developer during a tunnel mishap at Chuchajen in East Sikkim are still fresh in the minds of the people.

The commission has been given the powers of a civil court in matters specified for inquiry and to utilize the services of officers and investigating agencies for conducting investigation pertaining to the inquiry.

The secretaries of law and labour departments have been nominated as secretaries for inquiry in the matters relating to local employment and the scam perpetuated by dubious financial companies.

The secretary of the energy and power department will be assisting the commission in the matters relating to accidental deaths in the construction works of the power projects.

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