Assam Public Works lodges complaint with ED alleging fund misappropriation

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Assam Public Works (APW) on Tuesday filed a formal complaint with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Guwahati alleging extensive misappropriation of government funds under the Fishery Mission Society of the Chief Minister Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana (FMS-CMSGUY). The complaint referred to CID Police Station Case No. 16/25, registered under Sections 120B, 420, 468, 471 and 409 of the IPC.

APW stated in the complaint that government funds were illicitly and intentionally diverted from the FMS-CMSGUY bank account by Sanjay Tamuli, SDFDO and Nodal Officer of the mission, to the personal accounts of his mother, Dipali Phukan, and his brother, Bijay Tamuli Phukan, both residents of Lanka in Nagaon district. Bijay Tamuli Phukan is identified as a government school employee in Hojai. APW claimed that the total misappropriated amount was Rs 2,61,56,520, out of which about Rs 1.10 crore and Rs 1.20 crore were transferred to the accounts of Tamuli’s mother and brother. A further Rs 35 lakh was allegedly transferred to the account of Lob Roy of Hojai before being moved into Sanjay Tamuli’s salary account.

The organization alleged that these transactions took place with the knowledge of Dr Ramendra Chandra Barman, Mission Director of FMS-CMSGUY, and former Mission Director Nirmal Kanti Debnath, ACS. APW noted that fund release orders required the signatures of both the Mission Director and the Financial Adviser.

APW further alleged that Financial Adviser Vashyanti Devi, AFS, who joined as Finance and Accounts Officer in May 2022 and was promoted in May 2023, was never reported to the State Bank of India’s Assam Secretariat Branch. It claimed that the Mission Director and the Nodal Officer concealed her designation and continued using the previous officer’s seal to enable the illegal transfers. Although the fund was officially unutilized since February 2023, APW stated that the Nodal Officer continued diverting money during this period.

The complaint added that during the tenure of former Mission Director Nirmal Kanti Debnath, ACS, an amount of Rs 58,16,400 was also misappropriated. APW alleged that this was overlooked by Enquiry Officer Manabendra Pratap Singh, IAS, describing the omission as a serious lapse.

APW also stated that despite Rs 1.20 crore being credited to the account of Bijay Tamuli Phukan, the Fisheries Department had not issued any communication to the Education Department seeking action against him. It further alleged that Dr Barman, Debnath and Sanjay Tamuli undertook several international trips during the period, and that some funds linked to the misappropriation were transferred abroad.

APW requested Enforcement Directorate to register a case under the relevant provisions of law, asserting that government funds were unlawfully transferred with malicious intent by the officials concerned.

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