Vigilance Directorate registers case against Buildings & Housing DE

GANGTOK, 10 July: Following establishment of prima facie case, Vigilance police registered a case against MK Subba, Divisional Engineer, Building & Housing Department on 09 July, 2012.
A criminal case under section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the Divisional Engineer. While officials are tightlipped on the details of the investigation, it is learnt that the Vigilance Directorate had a complaint or information that Mr. Subba had amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. Section 13 of the PC Act deals with criminal misconduct by a public servant, particularly in relation to misappropriation of funds or property entrusted or under his control, or the abuse of his position as a public servant for obtaining pecuniary advantage.
Soon after the case was registered, the Vigilance police conducted a raid at the residence of the DE at Development Area here during which various items and properties were documented and their valuations recorded. A memo of the items evaluated was also prepared.
The Vigilance police, it is informed, has been on Mr. Subba’s case for quite some time now and it was only after a series of preliminary investigations and scrutiny of his property and other holdings that the case was finally registered.
However the Vigilance Directorate is yet to establish a check period within which it can definitely say that the so called disproportionate assets were amassed or for which there is no satisfactory explanation. Mr. Subba, it is informed has been in government service for a long time, more than 20 years and a check period is important to pinpoint the period during which the allegations of acts omission and commission made against him were done.

Committee instituted to oversee dismantling of Tashiling Secretariat

GANGTOK, 13 Jan: A state-level Technical Committee has been constituted to look into the dismantling of the Tashiling Secretariat. Constituted by the Buildings & Housing Department, the committee comprises of officials of various departments and has the Secretary, Buildings & Housing, as Chairman and includes Secretary, Roads & Bridges; Secretary, PHED, Secretary, Power, Secretary, Mines and Geoogy and Chief Engineer, Building and Housing. The technical committee also includes Pradeep Kumar Lohani, CGM (Civil) from EPIL as a Special Invitee.
The Tashiling Secretariat was extensively damaged in the 18 September Earthquake, following which all departments housed there were relocated to the Community Hall which is now functioning as the State Secretariat.
The state government had directed that the Mines & Geology Department examine the structure and put up a report on the feasibility of continuing with the old secretariat complex. Mines & Geology had put up its report in which it had made certain recommendations for which the old structure, it was proposed, had to be demolished.
The state government, it is now informed, has desired that a new Secretariat be constructed considering necessary seismic parameters; moreover the new construction is also to accommodate additional office requirement of the state government.
Following this, it was decided that the old structure be demolished for which this technical committee has been constituted. The committee will look into the technical aspects of the demolition of the structure and other structures in the premises and submit a detailed report to the government.
The central government has already assured that it will provide the necessary funding for the construction of a new Secretariat.