Fight against graft to continue, no one will be spared: CM

Sonowal lists eviction drives, embankment building, development & industrial sector initiatives, transformation of Education sector, border security and increasing revenue receipts among his government’s achievements in its first year

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, May 24: Putting the fight against graft at the top of the list of achievements of his government in the last one year, Assam Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal on Wednesday asserted that nobody, including lawmakers, will be spared if found involved in corruption.

“We have miles to go as it will take time to clean the dirt accumulated in many departments during the erstwhile Congress regime which continued for 15 years. But let me assert that nobody, right from chowkidars to MLAs to ministers, will be spared if found involved in corruption,” Sonowal said.

Sonowal who was interacting with jourlists here on Wednesday morning on the occasion of completion of his government’s one year in office, claimed that a recent report by the Centre for Media Studies has found a decline in the rate of corruption in Assam from 34 per cent in 2005 to 18 per cent in 2017. He said the anti-corruption drive has yielded several positive results including rise in the State’s revenue collection up to 21.6 per cent.

“When we came to power, the people desired the much-needed change to weed out corruption at all levels. That was the reason why in the first cabinet meeting of the government, we decided to remove the illegal check gates on tiol highways,” he said.

Highlighting the drive against corruption in Assam Public Service Commission, the Social Welfare department and Agriculture department, the Chief Minister said over a dozen officials including the APSC chairman have been arrested, and more than 100 corruption cases were registered in the last one year.

Sonowal claimed that his government’s zero tolerance policy against graft has unleashed an “uncompromising war” to root out social evils from the administrative machinery of the State. According to him, unless corruption is rooted out from the administration, implementation of no government scheme can be successful.

Claiming eviction drives against encroachers at different important sites in the State as another success of his government, Sonowal said that in compliance with the Gauhati High Court’s order, his government carried out eviction drive in Kaziranga and freed 750 acres from encroachers. It also freed land belonging to some xatras across the State from encroachment.

Sonowal also pointed out that his government has constituted a high level committee to examine the issue of land rights of indigenous people in the State.

The Chief Minister said another major achievement of his government was the construction of 85 embankments along the Brahmaputra.“Our plan was to build 95 embankments ahead of the rainy season. Work in 85 of them has been completed,” he asserted.

Development and industrial sector initiatives, increasing revenue receipts, border security, transformation of the Education sector were among the other major achievements of the BJP-led government, the Chief Minister said.

Sonowal further said the administration has brought back work culture in government offices and 5 lakh government employees are now working sincerely.

On the initiatives taken in the industrial sector, the Chief Minister said investments totaling Rs 6,500 crore have been made in the State, with companies like Patanjali, Dabur, Hindustan Unilever and others starting production in their new units here by employing around 40,000 people.

In the Education sector, Sonowal said 12,033 teachers were appointed against regular vacancies and 687 on contractual basis.