Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 26 2009:
Just a day after the State Cabinet decided to abolish the Technical and Professional Cell (TP Cell) during the meeting chaired by Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh on April 29 last, the fund deposited by various Departments in the account of the TP Cell have vanished even as suspicions have been raised on diversion of around Rs 2 crores illegally.
According to a reliable source, following the State Cabinet decision to abolish the TP cell and to set up a Committee with the Chief Secretary as chairman to look into the work process and fund deposited by various Departments in the account of the TP cell, the Finance Department had also issued an order in this regard.
However, on May 2 when the Chief Secretary who is the Committee chairman deputed an Additional Secretary of the Finance Department to the Registrar Co-operative in connection with freezing the account of the TP cell it was learnt that the account was nil and there was no fund in it.
Suspecting that around Rs 2 crores deposited by various Departments which should remain in the account may have been fraudulently withdrawn without the knowledge of the Government, the Committee headed by the Chief Secretary as its chairman has not only started investigating the matter but has also brought the matter to the notice of the Chief Minister.
Consequently, the Government has also taken up necessary steps to find out whether the claim of the TP cell on completion of the works or completing more than 50 percent of the works is true in the light of the report to be furnished by the Engineers of the Works Department who have been entrusted to look into the matter.
Interestingly, inspite of not being under the Government or a registered body, the valley division of the TP Cell had implemented works related to various Departments like Co-operative, Health, OBC, Education, Labour, IPR, Tourism, FCS and Family
Welfare.
The total estimated cost of these works is Rs 7616.41 lakhs.
The hill division of the TP Cell had also implemented the works to the tune of Rs 1960.1 lakhs for Labour Department, Health Department, Social Welfare, FCS Department, Health Mission and Veterinary Department.
Besides taking up the works of various Government departments prior to 2004 upto the current fiscal year 2008-09, the TP Cell had also implemented works of other institutions including Navodaya Vidyalaya and Institute of Bio-resources and Sustainable Development to the tune of Rs 6881.28 lakhs.
It may be recalled here that apart from abolishing the TP Cell, the Cabinet meeting had also decided that Police Housing Corporation would take over the works of the police, MTDC the work Tribal Welfare Building, PDA the works of MAHUD and MDS its own works after the Works Department gives its no objection.
Moreover, it has also been decided that MANIDCO, Engineering Cells of District Councils and DRDA would allow deposition of the fund related to works of their own and not of any other Departments any more.