Corruption In ₹1600 Crore NRC? NGO Accuses Former Assam NRC Coordinator Of Irregularities

The former Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) coordinator under whom the NRC was carried out has been accused of corruption.

Assam Public Works, a prominent non-government organisation has filed an FIR with the Central Bureau Investigation’s Anti-Corruption branch, into alleged “illegalities and financial irregularities” by former NRC coordinator, Prateek Hajela, over the past few years.

The FIR says that CBI must probe how did Hajela spend ₹1600 crore allotted by the Centre. APW is one of the original petitioners in the Assam NRC case filed in the Supreme Court.

In its petition, the APW has alleged that the former NRC coordinator had appointed certain retired government officials as his advisors and provided them with new vehicles and handsome salaries.

APW member Rajib Deka said that the central government was funding the NRC updation through the state coordinator. The NGO has also alleged that several teachers who were hired for preparing the NRC list, are yet to remunerated for their service. However, the body claimed that documents available reveal that they were paid huge amount of money.

The APW has also accused Hajela of allegedly inflating the price of 10,000 laptops, to be purchased for the NRC, to ₹44,000 as against the original price of ₹22,500. A similar allegation has also been made in the purchase of 11,000 generators.

The APW has demanded the CBI to conduct a statutory audit of the NRC to reveal the alleged irregularities. However, as per an NDTV report, the CBI is yet to officially register the FIR.

Last month Hajela was transferred to Madhya Pradesh after the Supreme Court order. The final list of Assam NRC which was released on August 31, excluded 19 lakh people. Recently, the union home minister – Amit Shah said that the NRC will be implemented all across the country to get rid of immigrants.

Also Read: Assam NRC List: 19 Lakh Including Kargil War Veteran Excluded