Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) Nagaland today released documents acquired through RTI, indicating that over the past 12 years, there has been discrepancy of about 12 Crores liters in distribution of Supreme Kerosene (SK) Oil, amounting to Rs 500 Cr, given in quota by the centre to the state.
The documents, made available to the media, were acquired by the ACAUT through an RTI filed with the Nagaland State Food and Civil Supplies (F&CS) Department.
ACAUT alleged that the “fuel adulteration issue is not confined to the kingpins alone as the state government would like us to believe.” The fact of the matter is that the F&CS department, along with the “kingpins – also the SK Oil stockiest, have been diverting crores of liters of SK Oil to the black market for the last 15-20 years with impunity,” it added.
“Hundreds of crores of rupees have gone into the pockets of politicians, bureaucratic class, as also the keepers of the law”, ACAUT noted.
It further alleged that successive Chief Ministers have “felt the need to totally control the goose-that-lays-the-golden egg F&CS Department.”
“It is now absolutely incumbent upon the government to support anti-corruption measures called by various sections of society instead of aggravating issues with legalistic measures, such as labeling bandhs and agitations as ‘illegal’” it stated.
The ACAUT cautioned that unless the SIT charge sheet is comprehensive, inclusive of the SK Oil diversion in the last 15-20 years and the manner of its disposal, as highlighted by the ACAUT, “there is bound to be more unwarranted situation for which the government shall be solely answerable to the people.” It further termed a complete “sanitization” of the Food and Civil Supplies Department as “absolutely crucial.” (Inputs from Media reports)