AIADMK urges Assembly oversight panels to probe monetary misdeeds flagged in CAG report

AIADMK State secretary A. Anbalagan has urged the Assembly Public Accounts Committee and Estimates Committee to summon officers involved for an inquiry following the most recent audit report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), citing monetary irregularities in just a few authorities departments that brought about a lack of about ₹28 crore.

In an announcement, Mr. Anbalagan mentioned the committees of the Legislative Assembly, that additionally comprise members of the Opposition events, ought to carry out their roles independently. Only then can a authorities elected by the individuals operate correctly and the administration be anticipated to enhance, he mentioned.

In one in all its findings, the CAG audit report for 2023-24 acknowledged that varied departments of the Puducherry authorities had reported round 316 circumstances of misappropriation, loss and defalcation as much as March 2024, involving authorities funds amounting to ₹28.89 crore on which last motion was pending. It singled out the Electricity Department, which alone, accounted for 257 circumstances involving funds to the tune of ₹27.14 crore.

In the sunshine of those findings, Mr. Anbalagan mentioned the Opposition events, which have been adequately represented within the oversight committees arrange by the Puducherry Assembly, together with one panel that had DMK MLA as chairman, ought to haul up officers of the involved departments and conduct a radical probe into the monetary misdeeds.

Should such an investigation set up guilt, the committee chairman ought to advocate prosecution measures towards officers involved to the Legislative Assembly, he added.

Turning on the social gathering’s arch-rival, Mr. Anbalagan mentioned the DMK, which has members in a few of these important Assembly-led oversight panels — underneath the custom of together with members from events exterior the ruling alliance in key positions — was not functioning as a real Opposition, however tended to be supportive of the federal government, whether or not they have been in energy or not. This, he contended, would clarify why neither in the course of the earlier Congress-DMK authorities nor in the course of the AINRC-BJP regime, the intense malpractices introduced out by CAG audits had not been acted upon.

Mr. Anbalagan mentioned it was comical, towards this backdrop, for the DMK and a few others to attempt to divert from the failure of their oversight capabilities following the publication of the CAG audit report, and demand motion from the federal government and the Lt. Governor. He additionally wished the Speaker to make sure that the committees introduced within the Legislative Assembly do their responsibility correctly.