The Anusuchit Jati Yuba Chatra Parishad, Asom, on Saturday accused the state government of not taking action in a Rs 8 crore scam in the Assam Fisheries Development Corporation (AFDC) Ltd.

Parishad president Rubul Das said in 2017-18, AFDC allotted Rs 100 crore for 106 clusters under the Rural Infrastructure Development Funds-XXI scheme for management of the fishery sector.

He said AFDC selected 200 contractors for execution of the scheme. “Apparently, on March 3, 2019, fishery department joint secretary Nirmal Kanti Debnath, the then managing director of AFDC, in association with assistant engineer Mahitush Barman, released a sum of Rs 8 crore to 70 contractors without approval from the director. The department neither monitored nor inspected the progress of the work,” Das alleged.

He alleged that the contractors have not even achieved 20 per cent progress in the work.

Das said AFDC chairperson and MLA Rama Kanta Dewri lodged a complaint with chief minister Sarbanada Sonowal highlighting the anomalies on May 8. “We also lodged a complaint regarding this with the chief minister on May 15,” Das said.

After receiving the complaints, Sonowal ordered a probe by a committee, headed by former AFDC managing director and retired ACS officer Swapan Kumar Das, which submitted its report on June 26, 2019. “The report clearly exposed the corruption and brought to light the involvement of four officials of the AFDC — the then managing director Nirmal Kanti Debnath, senior project engineer in-charge Mahitush Barman, assistant superintendent Ujjal Das and accountant Tarini Deka. The inquiry also exposed how certain documents were fraudulently furnished to release the bill,” Das , who got a copy of the report through RTI, claimed. The Telegraph is in possession of a copy of the report.

Das claimed that Dewri had told him that he recently visited Choumakhi Meen Mahal in Kamrup, Chandkhola Meen Mahal in Dhubri and Kathalguri Meen Mahal in Kokrajhar and found that the contractors were yet to initiate work as per the “work order”.

“After exposure of all the anomalies, a junior engineer of AFDC forwarded the Rs 8-crore bill to project director for financial approval on May 8, though the money was already withdrawn on March 3.”

However, according to Das, the project director declined to approve the bill, citing lack of “measurement and evaluation report” and “necessary forwarding” from the accounts and finance official of the corporation.

Das alleged that even after the complaint to the chief minister’s vigilance cell on May 16, no action was initiated. “Without punishing the errant officials, the government promoted Debnath and transferred Barman to Barak Valley,” he futher alleged.

Das said if no action is taken against the errant officials, the parishad will launch a protest.

When contacted, Dewri, said he could not talk as he was attending a party meeting.