CAG unearths state poll funds scam

KOLKATA: What use do refrigerators, colour TVs, ACs and music systems have in election duty? Interestingly, these items were bought by the SP’s office in Midnapore using funds meant for poll expenses.
The matter finds mention in the CAG report tabled recently in the Assembly.
The A-G’s office conducted a check on the offices of seven SPs to verify their records."They drew Rs 3.90 crore in 1999-2000 for meeting expenditure in connection with holding the 13th Lok Sabha elections as well as bye-elections of the Vidhan Sabha and municipalities," the report states.
However, "scrutiny of the expenditure of Rs 3.90 crore revealed that in violation of the government’s order the SPs utilised Rs 1.20 crore (30.77 per cent) for purchases of various items not related to election." Besides, the funds were "misutilised for repair of offices and residential buildings". For example, the SP Midnapore spent Rs 1.63 lakh in repairing the residential quarters of the range DIG and the offices and bathrooms of his quarters and that of the additional SP’s. According to the SP, the electronic gadgets were bought for the comfort of the VVIPs who stayed in the Police Investigation Bungalow Digha. "The reply is not tenable diversion of funds for the purposes other than those specified in sanction order is not permissible", the CAG report states.
Further, the DM of South 24 Parganas spent Rs 4.77 lakh on the election observers deployed for Lok Sabha polls in 1999. The observers were put up at Tollygunge Club, instead of in government semi-government houses and the expenses included bar and laundry bills of the observers. Interestingly, some of those stayed at the Tollygunge Club, were not even in the official list of observers.