01-22-2007, 07:20 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Lalu regime officers bought geysers, coolers with EC funds </b>
pioneer.com
Shuja-ul-Haq | New Delhi
The saga of loot and misuse of public money by the babus in Bihar doesn't end at the panchayat elections. Its shadow also fell on the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha bypolls during the Lalu regime in 1997-98.
The audit report for 1998, presented before the Delhi High Court through a petition details how the State election machinery defrauded the exchequer of a whopping Rs 34 crore during these elections. The CAG report takes into account the records of ten districts, including Patna, Muzzafarpur, Vaishali, Gaya and Samastipur.
Though the Election Commission of India is responsible for holding these elections, their orders are executed through the officers of the State Government.
A scrutiny of the poll records reveals that six District Magistrates in their capacity as District Election Officers misused the election funds of Rs 15.63 lakh during 1996-98 just on the purchase of colour televisions, room coolers, geysers, fax machines, furniture, generating sets, carpets, fans and other household items.
Now if you are guessing where is the use of these items in elections, you are right. All these articles have allegedly found their way to the circuit houses or the District Magistrate's residential office in Samastipur and for the room of Personal Assistant to Samastipur DM.
While explaining this illegal use of funds, the report goes on to say that all these purchases were made without inviting tenders and no entries made in the stock ledgers. Interestingly, the report states that the District Election Officer Samastipur purchased such household articles for an amount of Rs 98,000 even after the 1998 Lok Sabha polls were over.
The misuse of election funds for such purposes doesn't stop at Samastipur. The audit report details that in six districts, the District Election Officers diverted available funds of Rs 1.63 crore to other purposes.
Now even if the funds found their way to the election use, the DEOs have been so slow and careless to maintain the record of the expenditure that they could never recover the money that was not used. According to the report, due to ill maintenance of records, the DEOs of 10 districts were unable to recover a sum of Rs 5.75 crore paid as advance to various agencies or officials. The report points out that the DEOs 'took no initiative' to get the amounts recovered or adjusted.
The Photo Identity Cards to be issued to the voters also finds its way in the list of defrauded items. The Central Government had released an advance of Rs 22.76 crore for the purpose of manufacturing the cards. The report charges that even though eight manufacturing firms responded to the tenders invited to make PICs, the Chief Electoral Officer awarded the work on nomination basis to one particular firm.
The favouritism shown by the election officers towards the firm is proved by the fact that even though the agency failed at many grounds, it was never penalised. According to the report, the agency failed to complete the work on time thus was liable to pay a penalty of Rs 60,000. As part of the penalty, a performance guarantee of Rs 1.61 crore that should have been forfeited but this was never done. The agency was also liable to replace the defective identity cards free of cost. However, 8.61 lakh defective cards valued at Rs 1.14 crore were not replaced by the agency. The Government didn't even bother to lodge any claim on the agency for this.
At the request of the agency, 90 per cent (Rs 3.15 crore) of the value of equipment of the agency was mortgaged in January 1996 by the Government as security for providing it a working capital of Rs 1.12 crore. Shockingly, the amount was paid even though there were no whereabouts of the physical presence of the equipment mortgaged.
The other discrepancies include the non-utilisation of electoral rolls printed in excess of requirement which resulted in a loss of Rs 22.57 lakh. Further, according to the audit report, the Chief Election Officer wasted 2.64 lakh handbooks because of apparent miscalculation of the actual requirement. This resulted in an extra cost of Rs 32.70 lakh as the election expenditure. The other headlines that glitter on the audit report are the excess expenditure on the carriage of ballot boxes to the tune of Rs 28.23 lakh. Purchases made at higher rate, non- recovery of money to be forfeited and to top it all payments made on fake videography resulted in extra burden of around Rs 30 lakh on the State exchequer.
<b>Irregularities galore</b>
Rs 15.63 lakh of election funds misused on the purchase of colour televisions, room coolers and other household items for District Magistrates' homes
District Election Officers diverted available funds of Rs 1.63 crore to other purposes
Unused Rs 5.75 crore paid as advance to various agencies or officials never recovered
An agency, which should have been penalised for Rs 1.14 crore for its failure to supply photo identity cards, was allowed to go scot-free
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Laloo's fan club must be happy to see his achievement.
pioneer.com
Shuja-ul-Haq | New Delhi
The saga of loot and misuse of public money by the babus in Bihar doesn't end at the panchayat elections. Its shadow also fell on the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha bypolls during the Lalu regime in 1997-98.
The audit report for 1998, presented before the Delhi High Court through a petition details how the State election machinery defrauded the exchequer of a whopping Rs 34 crore during these elections. The CAG report takes into account the records of ten districts, including Patna, Muzzafarpur, Vaishali, Gaya and Samastipur.
Though the Election Commission of India is responsible for holding these elections, their orders are executed through the officers of the State Government.
A scrutiny of the poll records reveals that six District Magistrates in their capacity as District Election Officers misused the election funds of Rs 15.63 lakh during 1996-98 just on the purchase of colour televisions, room coolers, geysers, fax machines, furniture, generating sets, carpets, fans and other household items.
Now if you are guessing where is the use of these items in elections, you are right. All these articles have allegedly found their way to the circuit houses or the District Magistrate's residential office in Samastipur and for the room of Personal Assistant to Samastipur DM.
While explaining this illegal use of funds, the report goes on to say that all these purchases were made without inviting tenders and no entries made in the stock ledgers. Interestingly, the report states that the District Election Officer Samastipur purchased such household articles for an amount of Rs 98,000 even after the 1998 Lok Sabha polls were over.
The misuse of election funds for such purposes doesn't stop at Samastipur. The audit report details that in six districts, the District Election Officers diverted available funds of Rs 1.63 crore to other purposes.
Now even if the funds found their way to the election use, the DEOs have been so slow and careless to maintain the record of the expenditure that they could never recover the money that was not used. According to the report, due to ill maintenance of records, the DEOs of 10 districts were unable to recover a sum of Rs 5.75 crore paid as advance to various agencies or officials. The report points out that the DEOs 'took no initiative' to get the amounts recovered or adjusted.
The Photo Identity Cards to be issued to the voters also finds its way in the list of defrauded items. The Central Government had released an advance of Rs 22.76 crore for the purpose of manufacturing the cards. The report charges that even though eight manufacturing firms responded to the tenders invited to make PICs, the Chief Electoral Officer awarded the work on nomination basis to one particular firm.
The favouritism shown by the election officers towards the firm is proved by the fact that even though the agency failed at many grounds, it was never penalised. According to the report, the agency failed to complete the work on time thus was liable to pay a penalty of Rs 60,000. As part of the penalty, a performance guarantee of Rs 1.61 crore that should have been forfeited but this was never done. The agency was also liable to replace the defective identity cards free of cost. However, 8.61 lakh defective cards valued at Rs 1.14 crore were not replaced by the agency. The Government didn't even bother to lodge any claim on the agency for this.
At the request of the agency, 90 per cent (Rs 3.15 crore) of the value of equipment of the agency was mortgaged in January 1996 by the Government as security for providing it a working capital of Rs 1.12 crore. Shockingly, the amount was paid even though there were no whereabouts of the physical presence of the equipment mortgaged.
The other discrepancies include the non-utilisation of electoral rolls printed in excess of requirement which resulted in a loss of Rs 22.57 lakh. Further, according to the audit report, the Chief Election Officer wasted 2.64 lakh handbooks because of apparent miscalculation of the actual requirement. This resulted in an extra cost of Rs 32.70 lakh as the election expenditure. The other headlines that glitter on the audit report are the excess expenditure on the carriage of ballot boxes to the tune of Rs 28.23 lakh. Purchases made at higher rate, non- recovery of money to be forfeited and to top it all payments made on fake videography resulted in extra burden of around Rs 30 lakh on the State exchequer.
<b>Irregularities galore</b>
Rs 15.63 lakh of election funds misused on the purchase of colour televisions, room coolers and other household items for District Magistrates' homes
District Election Officers diverted available funds of Rs 1.63 crore to other purposes
Unused Rs 5.75 crore paid as advance to various agencies or officials never recovered
An agency, which should have been penalised for Rs 1.14 crore for its failure to supply photo identity cards, was allowed to go scot-free
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Laloo's fan club must be happy to see his achievement.