Midweek: Beyond the Headlines
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11 - 17 Oct, 2006 111 96 Crores In Dispute on page 19 LACHEN PIPON NO BUMPER WIN FOR IS ANGRY SIKKIM IN LOTTERY FIND OUT WHY ON PAGE 8 OFF TO OXFORD on page 3 11 - 17 OCT, 2006, GANGTOK [email protected] VOLUME 1 NO. 5. Rs. 10 ‘PILFERAGE’ worth K Y M Rs. 2.68 crores C uncovered at STCS THE COMPLETE STORY ON PPY AGE 22AGE DUMPED, CHARRED AND STILL STANDING TALL SPIDERMAN ESCAPES, AGAIN! Spiderman strikes! And he has given the police the slip yet again. The fourth such escape for the 22 year old in a row. This time he has escaped from the undertrial hazaat of the district courts at Namchi, the south district headquarters. PEMA L SHANGDERPA reports for MIDWEEK GANGTOK: Spiderman strikes! And he has given the police the slip yet again. The fourth such escape for the 22 year old in a row. This time he has escaped from the undertrial hazaat of the district courts at Namchi, the south district headquarters. Sikkim’s most wanted criminal Rakesh Rai known more popularly as Spiderman for his ability to climb high rises and scale walls has fooled Sikkim police yet again, giving them the slip while being produced for the trial hearing for his double murder case at the Namchi district court in the afternoon today. He was driven to Namchi from the state jail at Rongyek here in Gangtok this morning. According to Superintendent of Police (South) Mrinalini Shrivastava, the escape took place around 12.30 pm on 10 October and the district police were informed immediately. The police have launched a massive man hunt for Spiderman with all the outposts being asked to keep vigil as well as several search teams being sent off to various locations. Sniffer dogs have been pressed into service. The checkposts at Melli, Rangpo, Ramam have been alerted. Police have also been asked to keep vigil at the river routes in Jorethang as well as several other jungles in the district. THE JOURNEY OF JC WHITE on page 6 Continued on page 4 222 11 - 17 Oct, 2006 ROUND-UP STCS initiates enquiry STCS under the scanner following audit revelations Performance audit finds ‘pilferage’ of Cement, a MIDWEEK REPORT GANGTOK: With the State Trading Corporation of Sikkim (STCS), under threat of a vigilance enquiry, the STCS LPG worth Rs. 2.68 crores management has initiated damage control measures starting a MIDWEEK REPORT the pilferage was found to be physical verification. The with internal enquiries. It has now surfaced that the ‘pilferage’ in the case of cement. chartered accountant audits took place at the supervisory levels with the store keeper and GANGTOK: One of Sikkim’s A physical verification of the STCS accounts every distributors being indicted for the lapses, which led to best known and biggest public the stores is said to have year. Without verifying or misappropriation in the supplies. STCS has attached the sector undertakings, the State revealed that there were short without veracity they had property of the store keeper as a means of recovery with some Trading Corporation of Sikkim supplies of both the goods in certified the accounts Rs. 26 lakhs recovered from him so far. Apparently, the store (STCS) has come under the the stores. It has also been annually purely on ‘book keeper has admitted to the misappropriation and the scanner of the Comptroller and learnt that this is the first time value’. management at STCS hopes to make further recoveries. Auditor General of India. that the audit has carried out A major cause for the Enquiry committees have been formed and two separate According to reliable such physical verification of pilferage is said to be the weak one man enquiry committees have been instituted to look into sources, STCS has been pulled the goods in the state. The internal control system in the and investigate the pilferages in the supply of cement and LPG. up by the office of the verification was carried out by Corporation. This was While the chief general manager Gyamtso Bhutia will enquire Accountant General, for STCS themselves in presence informed to the management into the lapses in Gangtok, general manager Menla Ethenpa ‘pilferage’ of Cement and of the personnel from the audit. by the audit when they held will investigate into the Jorethang lapses. Liquid petroleum gas (LPG). The verification was insisted regular discussions. STCS was It has been learnt that apart from the various lapses like not STCS is the authorized agency for ‘public interest’ since also advised to improve their checking and keeping a tab on the supplies of cement to the for the supply of the two goods. public funds were involved. checks and balance system. store, even the sale proceeds in the case of LPG were not While they supply cement to The audit has found out that The department themselves deposited on time. This had continued regularly at the the State Government they are the accounts in the registers did had never carried out such a supervisory levels leading to the huge accumulation of also the authorized distributors not tally with the goods in the physical verification. unaccounted accounts. “We have formed our internal of LPG cylinders in the state. store when the verification was High sources within the committees and once they place the report we will fix the Sources inform that a carried out, with the figure government have revealed that responsibilities on those who are involved” STCS Managing detailed review and running above 2.5 crores. The the office of the Accountant director Tempo Bhutia said while speaking to Midweek. Bhutia performance audit of STCS goods which were found General under the CAG has also said that the management was verifying their accounts to being carried out at present by unaccounted for tantamount to asked the State Government for see if the pilferage actually amounted to the huge figure as the CAG has revealed that both pilferage. a Vigilance enquiry into the was being quoted. Cement and LPG were Meanwhile, it is learnt pilferage. They are said to have Recently, the board of directors of the Corporation held a C ‘pilfered’ to the tune of Rs. that the chartered already written to the State meeting to discuss the issue and they have forwarded a M Y 2.68 crores. The figure is, accountant of the STCS has Government with the request. suggestion to the State Government to form a committee to K however, cumulative with the also been hauled up by CAG STCS itself has already look into the details. Personally for Bhutia, well known for short supplies having been since they had been initiated actions within the his managerial abilities and as one who has worked hard to passed down the years for the certifying the reports department for collection of the give a new image to STCS, this has come as a huge blow and past several years. Majority of without test checks or ‘pilfered’ goods. he admits to feeling ‘let down by his supervisory staff’. NE Commerce Ministers to meet in Gangtok a MIDWEEK Report their delegation to New Delhi much advanced than Sikkim various schemes and subsidies trade, Mr. Subba said that where they met Prime Minister and North East as far as for the NE region for the policy. while the volume of trade was GANGTOK: Sikkim will host Manmohan Singh and the industrial development is He, however, said that there small, it was the confidence the two-daylong meeting of Union Commerce Minister, concerned. When they have got were still misgivings and building measure between the Commerce and Industries asking for several sops and the extension why not us?” misunderstanding at the two countries that was Ministers of the North Eastern extension of the excise subsidy “We want to make our case bureaucratic level in New impressive. He said that traders states in the last week of under the New Industrial strong when we meet to discuss Delhi who have this notion that from both China and Sikkim October. The meeting will policy, the Minister stated. so that we can again approach the money is not being utilised were very happy with the trade deliberate and review the North One of the bigger aspects of the Government of India and put into proper use in the so far and the Chinese traders East Industrial Policy [NEIP] the NEIP is the demand of the unitedly,” he added. right places. “They have not even invited traders from this 1997 and 2003 as well as on NE ministers to extend the Several incentives and sops visited the region and are side to interact at the the Look East policy of the Excise subsidy under the NEIP are also likely to be demanded mistaken in thinking since this Rinchinggang trade mart on the union government, besides which expires in March 2007. under the new industrial policy is not the real picture,” he said. last day of trade on 30 thrashing out several issues The ministers want the subsidy to attract investors to the Speaking on the Nathula September last month. connected with border trade in to be extended up to 2017 region. Setting up of special the NE region. which was also the demand economic zones in the region Speaking to MIDWEEK, the placed before the prime is also likely to come up during Read & State Commerce and Industries minister in their Delhi tour the two day deliberations. The Minister RB Subba informed recently. Mr. Subba said that ministers will also discuss that the Forum of Commerce both the Prime Minister and the border trade through Moreh in Advertise in Ministers of the North East, Commerce Minister gave a Manipur, the two other border headed by Assam Commerce patient hearing but it was still trade through Arunachal Minister Pradyut Bordoloi as its left to them to pressurize and Pradesh, one in Nagaland and chairman, will meet here to push harder for the cause.