ITANAGAR, 25 May: The All Arunachal Pradesh Public Health Engineering & Water Supply Department Workers Union (AAPPHE &WSDWU) has raised concern over the delay in making arrests in the illegal appointments scam that has hit the PHE&WS department.
Members of the union held a meeting here on Saturday to discuss further course of action.
Later, briefing the media, the union’s president asked the SIC, which is investigating the scam, why it has not made a single arrest till now. “We fail to understand why, even after so many days, the SIC has not made any arrest. Also, the SIC’s delay in conducting raids on the office of the chief engineer is worrying,” said AAPPHE&WSDWU president Tadar Dowa.
He expressed appreciation for the state government for taking a decisive action against corruption in the department. The government recently cancelled 20 illegally appointed posts – a move that the union has hailed as “a significant step towards ensuring integrity and fairness in public service appointments.”
The issue came to light earlier this month when the union learned about the illegal appointments through a briefing shared on digital media by the civil secretariat.
Acting swiftly, the union submitted a detailed memorandum to the chief secretary and lodged a formal complaint with the Special Investigation Cell (SIC) on 6 May. In the meeting held on Saturday, the union’s members discussed the latest developments regarding its allegation of corruption in the department.
“We are deeply troubled by the recent illegal appointments in our department,” Dowa stated. “We commend the SIC for its diligent efforts, which included conducting surprise raids in Miao, Longding, and Changlang. However, it is concerning that no arrest has been made to date,” Dowa said, and emphasised “the union’s determination to see justice served,” noting that “the cancellation of the 20 illegal posts is only the beginning.”
“We will be submitting another memorandum to the chief secretary next Monday, detailing further instances of illegal appointments and demanding the immediate arrest of those involved,” he said.
“If our demands are not met, we are prepared to organise a democratic protest to ensure that our voices are heard,” Dowa added.
The union’s members expressed collective resolve to continue their vigilance against corruption, and to work closely with the government authorities to rectify injustices.
