GUWAHATI, Dec 3 � Government spokesperson and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today sought to clarify that the excess amount of fund released by the State Government as revealed in the special AG report could have been �utilized for salary and pension besides incentives for doctors, etc.�
Sarma also �requested� the Opposition to take part in a debate on the NC Hills scam issue in the Assembly for which he said a special session would be convened in January.
On the State Government�s failure in replying to the queries from the AG, Sarma sought to attribute the delay to the �unavailability� of the relevant files which he said �were in the custody of the CBI and NIA�, which were investigating the scam. He said that the AG report was the draft one and that the final report would have the State Government�s clarifications on its queries raised by it.
�It is not the final report and the AG has sought our views � the State Chief Secretary has written to the CBI and NIA for sending us copies of the files,� Sarma said.
The minister said that the Cabinet decision on release of funds to NC Hills excluded Central funds which were released directly through the departments concerned and not through the Hills Area Development Department.
On the issue of mega dams, Sarma said that the State Government would abide by the recommendations of the proposed multi-disciplinary expert committee comprising foreign as well as local experts.
Meanwhile, he said, the State Government has created a corpus fund of Rs 100 crore for implementing some of the recommendations made by an earlier expert committee, such as strengthening of embankments and development of roads in downstream areas. �We will start work immediately with its recommendations vis-�-vis the Ranganadi dam. The Finance Department will be in charge of the corpus fund,� he added.
