Bihar Gov in soup for too many trips

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Senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh is greeted by L.K. Advani and other leaders after he was announced as their vice-presidential

After his long-running clashes with the Nitish Kumar-led government over the administration of the universities, Bihar governor Devanand Konwar has landed in deep trouble after a report of the principal accountant-general mentioned a host of irregularities committed by the Raj Bhavan.
The PAG (Audit)’s 67-page preliminary inspection report, yet to be finalised, has questioned the frequent air travels Mr Konwar made outside Bihar in apparent violation of the rules, the appointment of vice-chancellors in Bihar’s six universities, “unauthorised” payments made against irregular postings at New Delhi’s Bihar Niwas, and purchase of i-phones and laptops, among other alleged violations. The leaked report, which has over five months to be made ready for being presented in the state Assembly, has forced Raj Bhavan officials to busily gather facts, documents and arguments to justify Mr Konwar’s actions and decisions about the 32 irregularities pointed out.
Mr Konwar, who became Bihar governor in June 2009, has visited his home state of Assam as many as 25 times in the past three financial years at the expense of taxpayer’s money, the PAG report notes, while the governors’ Allowances and Privileges (GAP) Rules, 1982 provide for two such travels a year. He visited Assam four times in 2009-10, nine times in 2010-11 and 12 times in 2011-12. These travels were allegedly not authorised as no permission for them was sought from the President of India.
The governor toured for 79 days in 2009-10, for 73 days in 2010-11, and for 154 days in 2011-12, the report says, with the airfares for them adding up to `15.68 lakh. His wife, Neewa, a former NCW member, private secretary Prakash Parewa and adviser Giri Reddy accompanied Mr Konwar a number of times against the rules. As per the PAG’s calculations, Mr Konwar must now return `4,31,973 spent on airfares.
Purchase of two iPhones, one Mac-Book and one Apple iPad by the Raj Bhavan in December 2011 has been described in the report as “doubtful”. Much to the glee of Bihar’s NDA government, the PAG rep-ort also described V-C’s appointed by Mr Konwar at six universities in the state as illegal, controversial and devoid of consultations with the government.