Mizo Govt faces trouble with PIL admission

Aizawl, Dec 21: The Mizoram government was again in a soup following Gauhati High Court's admission of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) case.

The PIL was submitted by the president of People's Right to Information&Development Implementing Society of Mizoram (PRISM) here.

Talking to the mediapersons here today, PRISM chief Vanlalruata said the High Court had admitted a PIL case, filed against the state government in connection with the mismanagement of fund of the police modernisation scheme in which a total of Rs 1789 lakh had been spent within four financial years.

'' We are very concerned about the rampant corruption taking place in the state and we have been gathering information through the RTI Act. The PIL, which has been admitted, is based on information that we have received through the RTI Act on purchases made through fund meant for police modernisation, '' he said.

He also said, '' We have found that all the purchases had been made without call of tender and that the purchases were regularised later through the State Purchase and Advisory Board. Since this is highly irregular, our organisation had no choice but to file a PIL. '' On the misuse of fund for police modernisation, Vanlalruata said, '' Rs 293 lakh was spent in 2001-02 for purchasing 30 items in the police department, while Rs 423 lakh was spent for 54 items during 2002-03. Then in 2003-04 Rs 716 lakh had again been spent to purchase 47 different items among which were 900 pairs of stockings.

'' In 2004-05, Rs 356 lakh was spent to purchase 16 items among which were goat-proof wire mesh. The Opposition had made a huge outcry when two mobile toilet vans, stockings and goat-proof wire meshed were purchased with the modernisation fund, furnished by the Centre, he said.

UNI