The secretary of the Bhima Koregaon Commission, which was set up to look into the riots of January 1, 2018, in which one person lost his life, has written to the Chief Secretary recommending that the inquiry be wound up for want of funds.
Matter of survival
The three-page-letter said, “Officials of the commission have not received salaries from November 2019. Salaries and honorarium of all including the chairman are due from December 2019. Peons on the establishment of the commission are required to borrow money for survival. Most of the staff members are hired on a contract basis. They will starve for want of salary.”
After the initial budget of about ₹52 lakh, “which was hardly adequate”, was exhausted, the government either delayed sanctioning a supplementary budget or sanctioned a lower amount than was required, the letter said. “Salary and other bills were not promptly passed. Advance was never sanctioned for day-to-day expenses,” it said.
Staff and officers are spending from their pockets for day-to-day expenses that are not reimbursed for months together, the letter said. “Obstacles were created in sanction of lump sum payment to the staff and professional charges of the advocate of the commission.”
When the commission’s term was extended on November 8, 2019, it had sought a supplementary budget of ₹65 lakh. According to the directives issued by the Finance Department, the supplementary demand should have been submitted to it on or before November 16, 2019. But the Home Department did not submit the supplementary demand before that date and the Finance Department did not take the demand for approval in the ensuing budget session, it said.
“Surprisingly, the Home Department has prepared a note to the effect that only ₹25 lakh were demanded by the commission which is totally wrong. The commission, on the other hand, demanded a sum of ₹65 lakh.”
The letter also said that when the deputy secretary, Home, who is dealing with the affairs of the commission, was called to explain the financial position relating to the commission, he said, “At the moment there is no budget and the commission will get it only after the budget session.”
‘Unable to function’
When the superintendent of the commission went to the Home Department to make inquires about pending bills, the relevant under secretary asked him to wind up the commission, it said. “The circumstances indicate that the government is not serious about the commission, [which] is unable to function for want of money even for day-to-day expenses,” it said.
.png?w=600)
