APW alleges Rs. 360 crores fund misappropriation in NRC, demands 100% re-verification

GUWAHATI: The Assam Public Works (APW), an NGO on whose petition the National Register of Citizen (NRC) was carried out in Assam, has put allegations of fund misappropriation in the process which resulted in a flawed NRC and redrawn attention over many other issues regarding the same.

It has been two years since the first list of NRC was put out on September 1, 2019, which was found be flawed.

"In last two years, the NRC is processing at a snail speed. The Supreme Court last heard the matter in January 2020. It's been 19 months since the NRC process is underway without any instruction. Not even process required afterwards the declaration of the first list has been initiated. The NRC turned into a white elephant," said APW President Abhijeet Sharma. "The matter has not been heard even after submitting many affidavits from our side as a prime petitioner," added Sharma.

Sharma also said that current NRC coordinator Hitesh Dev Sharma has asserted anomalies in the NRC list declared by former coordinator Prateek Hajela in front of the Supreme Court and also claimed that Bangladeshi residents were included as "original inhabitants" in the list which was submitted in the court with the proof.

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"We have said earlier also that very systematically a few NRC brokers have given almost 80 lakhs Bangladeshis the citizenship of India. This specific class never want a re-verification of NRC either and oppose that. Whosoever those people may be to protect the illegal immigrants and to support Taliban by living in Assam, whatever they say or do, we want 100 per cent re-verification of the process instead of 10 or 20 per cent re-verification in the districts of Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Chirang, Bongaigaon, South Salmara, Goalpara, Nalbari, Barpeta, Kamrup Rural, Kamrup Metro, Udalguri, Darrang, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Morigaon, Hojai, Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi," Sharma said.

Sharma also came down upon heavily on former NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela and accused him of being one of the major reasons of NRC's failure.

Abhijeet Sharma also accused Hajela of having nexus with a powerful self-styled Assamese, under whom Hajela had made misappropriation of NRC funds as his major motive.

"It was proven right in lastest Auditor General's Report where misappropriation of Rs. 360 crores were found," Sharma opined.

Sharma also accused that a report filed by Assam Police Anti-corruption Branch against Hajela regarding the same still has not reached Home Ministry in the last six months.

APW President Abhijeet Sharma has also asserted to file a complaint against Hajela in Gauhati High Court based on fund misappropriation findings in the CAG report including other misappropriation of Rs. 155. 83 crores in Data Entry Operator recruitment and salary process and another Rs. 21.06 crores in the name of generator procurement.

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