By IANS,
Shillong: Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Charles Pyngrope Monday referred to a house committee an audit report indicting 15 legislators for submitting “fake and inflated bills” amounting to Rs.1.67 crore to convert a one-day study trip into a 10-day holiday in Europe.
In its reports, the CAG revealed that 15 legislators and two Meghalaya Assembly secretariat staffs produced fake expenditure bills to claim an extra Rs.1.67 crore on a day’s study tour of British Parliament in 2006. The one-day study tour later turned out to be 10-day trip to Holland, France and Italy.
“I have referred the matter to the Public Accounts Committee, the most powerful committee of the assembly, to examine the CAG’s observation and submit a report,” Pyngrope told journalists.
Martin M. Danggo, the then speaker, and the rural development minister, had led the 17-member delegation to Europe.
The influential Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the misappropriation of public money.
“Their (Speaker’s delegation) visit to the House of Commons for a day was a ploy for sighting-seeing Europe at the tax-payer’s expense and action must be taken against those found guilty,” KSU general secretary Hamletson Dohling told IANS.
Independent legislator Manas Chaudhuri, who was member of the delegation, said the legislators had nothing to do with the tour itinerary.
“The whole visit is managed by the assembly secretariat. If the findings of the CAG are true, we (legislators) are ready to refund the dues if the PAC found CAG report are true,” he said.
Legislator Timothy D.Shira, who was also on the tour, said he is also ready to refund the dues.
Condemning the “scam” and demanding Danggo’s resignation, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s state unit asked the speaker to suspend all 15 legislators and order an independent inquiry into the scam.
“If the inquiry finds that the MLAs produced fake bills and claimed the amount, they should be punished as per law,” party spokesman Dipayan Chakraborty said.