Outraged Students Sound the Alarm: Mismanagement of Electricity Funds at Assam’s Powai Tea Estate Sparks Uproar
The Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA), Margherita Branch, has voiced serious concerns over the alleged mismanagement of funds designated for electricity bills at Powai Tea Estate, located in Margherita Subdivision, Tinsukia. Jayanta Parmanik, who identified himself as an estate agent, is accused of mishandling these funds, which were meant to pay the electricity bills of tea garden workers.
Sources indicate that Parmanik was appointed years ago by the garden management and the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) Powai unit, under the oversight of a former Sub-Divisional Engineer (SDE) of Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL), to collect payments deducted from workers’ wages for electricity bills.
The issue came to light when a new SDE took charge and discovered that approximately Rs 30 lakh worth of electricity bills remained unpaid for the fiscal year 2022-2023. An audit extending back to 2017 may reveal an even greater amount of unpaid bills.
Rohit Deep, President (i/c) of ATTSA Margherita Branch, highlighted the gravity of the situation, noting that Rs 29 lakh is a significant amount for the tea workers, who earn modest wages. He suggested that a larger conspiracy might be at play, with Parmanik possibly being a minor participant in a broader scheme.
Pranjal Baraik, Joint Publicity Secretary of ATTSA State Committee, criticized both APDCL and garden management for entrusting such a significant financial responsibility to an unauthorized individual. He questioned why the management handed over the entire deducted amount to Parmanik instead of issuing checks directly to APDCL.
Despite an FIR filed against Parmanik by Powai Tea Estate consumers, no arrest has been made, drawing Baraik’s condemnation of the police administration. He suggested that garden management should also be investigated for failing to secure the workers’ deducted wages and for not filing an FIR against Parmanik, raising suspicions of their involvement.
On July 29, ATTSA Margherita Branch submitted a memorandum to Assam Power Minister Nandita Garlosa, through the Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil), Margherita, demanding a high-level inquiry and intervention in the matter. The association urged for measures to recover the deducted amounts and punish those responsible.
This incident has also cast doubt on the ruling government’s promise of zero tolerance against corruption, putting the spotlight on Assam Power Minister Nandita Garlosa’s role in addressing these issues.
Original Story https://www.indiatodayne.in/assam/story/assam-student-body-raises-concern-over-mismanagement-of-electricity-funds-at-powai-tea-estate-1060769-2024-07-30?utm_source=rssfeed
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