By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, MAR 28: Activists of four organizations today sought inquiry by the CBI into the alleged rampant corruption by the PHE department which is responsible for acute scarcity of water supply in the state leading to violation of human rights.
They have also lambasted the state government for its failure to take action on the report of the Assembly’s Estimates Committee last year, which had indicted the PHE department for the delay in implementation of water supply schemes.
In view of this a call for “public protest” was also made by the four organizations -Societal Action against Human Trafficking, Drug Abuse and Social Problem (SAAHAT-DAASP), Civil Society Women’s Organization (CSWO), All Meghalaya Industrial Workers’ Union (AMIWU) and North Shillong Domestic & Unorganized Workers’ Union (NSDUWU).
Addressing newsmen here, SSAHAT-DAASP president Erwin K Sutnga said the chronic shortage of water supply faced by the people residing in the state capital and rural areas of the state is a serious issue.
“The failure of the public health engineering (PHE) department can only be attributed to rampant corruption and has to be investigated by an independent agency like the central bureau of investigation (CBI),” he said.
Stating that water has been declared by the United Nations to be a human right, he said the state government instead is sabotaging the Swachh Bharat campaign of the PM by depriving the people of basic water supply.
Sutnga also said that the services rendered by the Urban Affairs department through the Shillong Municipal Board are inadequate and deficient resulting in grievous hardship to the people.
“This also needs to be probed and responsibility fixed with appropriate disciplinary and criminal action against those responsible,” he added.
Questioning the delay of the state government to act on the report of Estimates Committee (EC), Sutnga said despite the fact that the EC has indicted the department yet there has been no action taken so far.
The EC in its report had made recommendation on the need to take action and fix responsibility on those involved in the delay of implementing the Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme, Nongstoin Water Supply Scheme and those in Garo Hills.
Demanding action within eight days on the matter, Sutnga said that if no positive action is taken, they would be compelled to embark on a signature campaign and accordingly petition to the Centre and the United Nations for such violation.
“Intervention by the Meghalaya High Court is also warranted on this regard,” he asserted.
Interestingly, the reply of the PHE department to the information sought by the CSWO under RTI Act, 2005 has completely denied that the EC has indicted the department for delay in implementation of the schemes including GSWSS.
The department has also denied that the then chief engineer SK Sunn was responsible for delay and also not providing the EC with proper facts and details.
On this, Sutnga said they are contemplating to take up the matter with the Estimates Committee which has clearly indicted the department in its report tabled in the floor of the House on March last year.
Referring to the RTI which pointed that the department had spent over Rs 130 crore for GSWSS and Umlyngka Water Supply Scheme, CSWO chief Agnes Kharshiing said despite this yet people are suffering.
“If we are not getting water after spending huge amount of funds is this not clear case of corruption,” she said.
The activists also questioned the decision to engage the M/s Tantia Constructions Ltd Kolkata, which has allegedly been blacklisted by government of other states, for implementing the GSWSS.
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