Babu caught in Secretariat extorting bribe

Arrest blows lid off commission raj in Dispur; No let up on anti-graft drive, promises Sonowal

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, March 28: In what could be described as tip of the iceberg of ‘Commission Raj’ that prevails in the State Secretariat at Dispur during the end of March every year, the Vigilance & Anti-Corruption wing of Assam Police on Tuesday caught Secretary of Irrigation department Kujendra Doley red-handed while taking bribe from a contractor to clear the latter’s bills.

The senior bureaucrat’s arrest became possible after Vigilance & Anti-Corruption sleuths tracked his activities inside his official chamber at State Secretariat on the basis of a complaint filed by a contractor of Irrigation department Palash Ranjan Baruah.

Baruah, who filed the complaint on Monday, said Doley was demanding money to clear his Fixation of Ceiling (FOC). Quoting Doley, Baruah told the vigilance sleuths that he had to pay 3 per cent of the total amount of money sanctioned in the bills as commission. According to Doley, the commission money goes to Irrigation minister Ranjit Dutta.

Sources told The Sentinel that vigilance sleuths followed Baruah on Tuesday afternoon when he went to make the pay-off to Doley at his office chamber. Doley, caught off guard when he saw the sleuths inside his office, was arrested immediately. While Rs 3.5 lakh was recovered from Doley’s table drawer, money to the tune of several lakh rupees was found at his office storewell and almirah. Later, sleuths also searched Doley’s residential apartment at Sasal and recovered another few lakh rupees. Doley’s interrogation and the search for more cash hoards were continuing till filing of this report.     

 Tuesday’s arrest has blown the lid off the rampant commission raj that prevails in Dispur during March end. Being the last month of the fincial year, contractors try their best to get their bills cleared before March 31. A section of bureaucrats, employees and even ministers at the State Secretariat take advantage and demand a cut of the total money in contractor’s bills as commission. Bills are not cleared or sanctioned till contractors cough up the money quoted by officials.

The PWD, Irrigation and Water Resource departments witness maximum number of such blatant extortion of commissions. Sources said that even after the change of guard in Dispur last year, there has been no change of ‘Commission Raj’ in the State’s seat of power.

Meanwhile, Irrigation minister Ranjit Dutta has rejected the contractor’s version that 3 per cent commission goes to him. He said contractors do not come to his office and he does not keep any file pending. Dutta said punitive actions as per the law would be initiated against the arrested official.

Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal while congratulating the Vigilance & Anti-Corruption officials for their success, said the arrest is an example of his government’s zero tolerance policy against corruption. He asserted that this drive will continue in other departments and not a single corrupt official or employee will be spared.

Sources however said that even though the BJP-led government has been launching a crackdown on corrupt officials since it assumed office in May last year, a section of babus consistently refuse to toe the line.

On the other hand, the Fince department has extended the validity of FOC up to March 30.