ALA Principal Secretary denies allegations

By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, July 31: A material evidence in the form of a letter to have sent to Assam Legislative Assembly (ALA) Principal Secretary GP Das by State Fince Commissioner and Sectary Ravi Kota on July 15 this year produced before the press by RTI activist Dulal Bora today has only exposed the lack of proper communication between the Assam Assembly Secretariat and the State Fince Department. The allegations levelled against Das by the RTI activist apparently seems to be without much teeth in them.
Addressing the press in the city today, Dulal Bora said: “ALA Principal Secretary GP Das has caused excess expenditure of funds. The State Fince Commissioner and Sectary has sent him a letter on June 15 this year requesting him to clarify the matter of excess expenditure of over Rs 19 lakh and over Rs 52,000 so as to report the same to the AG, Assam.”
The letter reads ‘...as per Fince Accounts and the Grant Fixation Statement of A.G., Assam an excess expenditure of Rs 19.91677 lakh has been shown during the year 2013-14 under the Head of Account 2071-II-01-111- Pension to Legislators (Grant No-1). Again, in the same grant and under the Head of Account 76-10-II-201-3008 loans to MLAs an excess expenditure of Rs 0.52787 lakh has been shown to have been made in the year 2013-14’.    
The activist also accused the ALA Principal Secretary of not doing his duty honestly in the handing over of additiol charge of the Judicial Department to ALA Fincial Adviser Ajit Das by the State Fince Department. “Ajit Das was caught red-handed by the police while paying bribes, and he has a case in this regard at Bashistha police station in Guwahati. How come the Fince Department give Das additiol charge of the Judicial Department when a case of bribery is pending against him? What has made the ALA Principal Secretary not bringing the facts like the pending case against Ajit Das before the Fince Department while giving him an additiol charge?” the RTI activist questioned.
Later in the day, ALA Principal Secretary GP Das was apparently able to prove his innocence on the allegations brought against him. He said with material documents as proofs: “The payment of over Rs 19 lakh was made by the treasury and the bank concerned for former MLAs’ and their family pension of tribal areas which the ALA doesn’t draw. The over Rs 0.52 lakh was withdrawn by former MLA Hiranya Bora as advance. The AG wanted the MLA to deposit the interest accruing to the amount only.”   
The question arises now is: “How come the State Fince Department send such a letter to the ALA Principal Secretary now on a matter that has already been settled?”