SHILLONG, March 8 - Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma today said in the Assembly that there is a �cold war� on among some bureaucrats in the State which is responsible for leaking misinformation to the media regarding the Government�s dealing with cement companies.
�There is a cold war among bureaucrats. People shouldn�t settle personal score and waste their time,� Sangma said during a lengthy reply to a Call Attention Motion moved by an Opposition member regarding �undue favour to a cement plant in Jaintia Hills.�
A visibly annoyed Sangma said that the Government would be getting at the bottom of this feud among bureaucrats through an investigation while stating that there was neither �irregularities nor favouritism� involved with its dealings with any cement company.
The Motion was moved by Tittostarwell Chyne of United Democratic Party, who sought an inquiry based on the newspaper report.
Meanwhile, the Home Minister informed the Assembly that the Prime Minister�s Office has sanctioned an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased victims of the truck accident near Nongspung village, West Khasi Hills, in which 19 persons lost their lives.
Sharing this information during a Zero Hour Notice moved by Hill State People�s Democratic Party MLA, KP Pangniang, Lyngdoh said that apart from the ex-gratia, Rs 50,000 each has been sanctioned to the critically injured from PM�s National Relief Fund. Altogether 64 persons were injured, some critically, in the accident on February 26.
The State Government too has extended assistance by sanctioning Rs 50,000 each to the family of the deceased victims and Rs 10,000 to those critically injured.
The Home Minister said that according to preliminary investigations, the accident was caused due to rash driving. The driver, who is recuperating in the Hospital, would be arrested after his treatment is completed.
