Shillong, July 11: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) on Monday demanded that the state government set up an inquiry into the alleged irregularities, misappropriation of public funds and giving undue favour to a particular firm by the Directorate Printing and Stationery.
In a complaint to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, HYC general secretary Roykupar Synrem said the government should also fix responsibility on every person involved in this illegal act.
“And pending inquiry, it is demanded that the Director of Printing and Stationery be put under suspension as provided under Rule 6 (1) (a) of the Meghalaya Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 2019, in order to ensure a free, fair and just Inquiry and to prevent the incumbent Director to manipulate, hamper or tamper with evidences, records and also to prevent him from misusing his position to influence any person(s) acquainted with the subject matter of Inquiry,” he said.
Synrem informed that as per RTI information available and media reports, the CAG reports had detected certain irregularities in the Printing and Stationery Department, leading to the unauthorised and misappropriation of huge amounts of public funds for the period 2010 to 2020.
He also highlighted the observations made by the office of the Principal Accountant General, (Audit), in the city between February 2010 and November 2019: “Unauthorised expenditures due to procurement of materials from disqualified supplier- The Director of Printing and Stationery placed Supply Orders valued Rs 87.58 lakh from a Firm which the Purchase Board Committee of the Directorate has rejected the tender submitted by the concern Firm due to non-fulfilment of certain condition. Thus, the directorate has failed to uphold due care and transparency as the disqualified tenderer/firm was given a supply orders worth Rs 87.85 lakh.”
An avoidable expenditure of Rs 2,03,500 was also made in procurement of single-colour sheetfed offset machine.
There were irregularities in outsourcing printing works to private firms without following due process leading to unauthorised expenditures of Rs 121.89 lakh.
In 2015, the mission director of State Health Society (NHM), requested the Directorate, Printing & Stationery to carry out printing works of materials required under NHM. The Directorate outsourced the printing works worth Rs 112.17 lakh to a firm named Shree Hari Industries without inviting tender or NIT. The said firm has no printing press or any expertise in printing works. The Directorate also made payment of Rs 17.85 lakh to M/S R.K.S Enterprise for printing of HNBC Forms and flex without inviting tender.
It was also observed that though the Directorate was not involved in the printing works, all the bills were prepared by the firms and sealed and signed by the Directorate certifying that the bills were verified and found to be correct. It only acts as a middleman in the whole process, which is highly irregular.
“Thus, due to the failure of the Directorate in ensuring transparency in allotment of printing works through NIT coupled with the engagement of a firm not involved in printing works resulted in irregular payment of Rs 127.73 lakh. It also shows that the Directorate has provided undue favour to the Firm by allotting works without calling for any NIT and without any expertise or printing press,” Synrem said.
On the purchase of computers from a particular supplier without inviting tender, Synrem said it was found that the Directorate had purchased nine computers from one particular supplier viz M/s Shree Hari Industries without any rate quotation or NIT in the year 2017.
“This was a clear case of favouritism to the particular firm, which is highly irregular and against the Meghalaya Financial Rules,” he added.
Other deficiencies and irregularities as observed include avoidable expenditures due to delay in payment of electricity bills worth Rs.171 lakh; double payment of electricity bill; idle stock worth Rs 47.48 lakh; non-adjustment of TA advance on medical ground; non-adjustment of medical advances amounting to Rs 23.04 lakh; irregularities in maintenance of cash books; irregularities in depositing of government receipt; discrepancies in maintaining of receipt book; non-maintenance of stock book for revenue receipt; and non-conduct of verification of stores and stocks.
