GUWAHATI, Aug 27 � The Sanmilita Janasagram Samiti, a city-based NGO has alleged that a bureaucrat and two controversial officials have worked in a team to deprive the Assam State Agricultural Marketing Board (ASAMB) of its due revenue worth Rs 21.63 crore in a period of six months.
The Samiti said in a press release here that the documents and file notes made available to it in response to a Right to Information (RTI) application, reveal that the then Chief Executive Officer of the ASAMB issued an order (No MB/AD/361.Pt II/2006-07/128) on October 24, 2009 instructing officials to stop collecting cess with immediate effect citing a Gauhati High Court judgement in a contempt case � No (C) 401/2008.
But it has become evident that the move to stop cess collection was premeditated and some officials were hand picked for the purpose. The CEO issued the said order without obtaining the permission of the chairman. The chairman was informed through a file noting after the notification was issued, said the Samiti in its press release.
The endorsements on the office copy of the notification reveal that all concerned officials of the Board check gates were called over to Guwahati to personally receive a copy of the notification on that day itself.
But a study of the said Gauhati High Court judgement reveals that there is no mention or instruction regarding discontinuation of cess collection by the Board. Incidentally, no legal opinion was obtained before issuance of the notification. The next CEO of the Board sought the opinion of the Additional Advocate General KN Choudhury and the collection of cess was resumed since April 21, 2010.
As per the figures made available by the Board, the cess collected by the Board during April-October 2009 was Rs 25,20,45,261 (Rs 3,60,06,466 per month) At this rate, the total loss of revenue for the above six months is worked out to be Rs 21,60,38,796. However, there is no effort to punish the officers responsible for this huge loss incurred by the Board, said the Samiti.