ITANAGAR, 19 Apr: Social activist Sol Dodum on Tuesday appealed to the state government to post a regular PHED executive engineer (EE) in East Kameng district, replacing the in-charge incumbent Bharat Sonam.
He also demanded formation of an SIT to investigate the recent attack on him and his team members during a peaceful protest in Seppa on 12 April; departmental action against Sonam; transfer of Deputy Commissioner PA Polumatla; registration of a case “to probe corruption in the water treatment plant (WTP) in Lai Moya and Macha, and the water supply project in Kuchi Nallah.”
Speaking to reporters, Dodum said that Sonam should be relieved from the post of EE in-charge. He said that Sonam has been serving in the post since 2015, “which is too long a period, warranting his replacement by a full-fledged EE.”
Dodum also claimed that Sonam appointed his kith and kin in various posts in the PHE department through illegal means. “There is huge corruption in the department, due to which the department is not functioning properly,” he said.
“I have a list of his (Sonam’s) relatives who have been inducted illegally. Most of the appointments are backdoor, with no proper documents and defying the rule of recruitment,” he said, adding that the documents will soon be placed before Chief Minister Pema Khandu.
Dodum said that the people of Seppa township should be immediately provided with potable water, and that a magisterial inquiry should be initiated into “the recent cement refilling of damaged roads due to the laying of a water pipeline.”
He said that the WTP in Lai Moya is being constructed with an approximate budget of Rs 36 crores and was supposed to be completed by 2020. “The WTP, which was built to provide water to 6,000 households, has been reduced,” he said.
“Moreover, the department is not responding to the information sought through RTI. Therefore, we demand an investigation into the matter by an SIT,” Dodum said.
He also demanded an SIT-level investigation into the recent attack on him and his team members, allegedly by the EE and his relatives. “For that,” Dodum said, “the EE should be suspended and departmental action should be taken up against him.”
He levelled various other corruption charges against the EE.
“Most importantly, DC Polumatla should be transferred from the district within five days for conspiring against me and for not being able to administer the district in the interest of the public,” he said.
Dodum also questioned the delay in arresting the rest of the accused involved in the attack on him. He demanded a “high-power inquiry under the district SP on the incident, and the arrest of the remaining accused, including the EE,” who he said was the mastermind behind the attack.
This daily was unable to get any comment from the department concerned.
