Despite the recovery of conclusive evidences of a multi-crore rupees scam in North Cachar Hills Autonomous District Council by the National Investigating Agency, the ministry of personnel and public grievances is alleged
to have been sitting over the request of the home ministry and the Assam government to order a probe by the CBI in misappropriation of fund in Assam.
Disclosing that autonomous district councils were acting as “ATM machines” for many top bureaucrats of the state, sources said that the National Investigation Agency, which first probed the scam, stumbled upon documents indicating withdrawal up to Rs 18 crores by officers of the council through a simple letter to the finance and accounts department of the council.
The NIA came across several such withdrawals by officers of the North Cachar Hills district council. A copy of such withdrawal letter, also in possession of this newspaper, indicate how deputy commissioner of the NC Hills district who was also the principal secretary of the district council, withdrew Rs 18 crores through a simple letter. The treasury transaction has also confirmed all the withdrawal of the amount referred in the letter published. After unearthing massive misappropriation of the fund while investigating the nexus of politicians with militant outfits in North Cachar Hills district, the NIA, which had limited mandate, recommended that the CBI should be asked to probe the scam that may run into more than Rs 700 crores.
The home ministry was pumping in an annual budget of Rs 150 crores for the development of trouble-torn North Cachar Hills district since 2001 onwards but NIA discovered that majority of Central government funds were going to the drain as a nexus of bureaucrat and politician was siphoning off majority of the fund.