In a serious allegation, the Trinamool Congress today revealed that funds amounting to Rs 1005 crore for the Shillong Smart City project have not been accounted for and not a single financial report has been filed since 2019 regarding the amount spent.
According to senior Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale, the NPP-led government of Meghalaya created Shillong Smart City Ltd in 2019 for implementing Modi’s Smart City programme.
“Over Rs 1005 crores have been given by the government and projects started. And yet, the company has not filed a single financial report since 2019,” he said.
“By not filing mandatory financial disclosures as required by law, there’s zero trace of how Rs 1005 crore of public money has been spent. Zero details on how contracts have been awarded,” Gokhale added.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress leader has also written to the nominee director of the Shillong Smart City Limited (SSCL), Dr. Vijay Kumar D on the matter.
Gokhale said that Shillong Smart City Limited was incorporated on January 22, 2019 with the Registrar of Companies, Shillong. However, since its incorporation, SSCL has not filed a single financial result or annual report with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs as is required under law.
“Furthermore, since its incorporation, SSCL has been granted over Rs 1005 crore of funds for various projects by both the Government of India as well as the Government of Meghalaya. In fact, several of these projects such as construction of a commercial complex at Polo, Shillong, redevelopment of Laitumkhrah Market, Shillong, and others worth crores have already been awarded to contractors and work is ongoing,” Gokhale stated.
“It is, therefore, shocking that SSCL has chosen not to file its regulatory financial returns and is exhibiting zero transparency as far as the financials of the company are concerned,” Gokhale said.
“The financials of SSCL pertain to public money, and therefore, is an issue of propriety as well as public information and interest,” he said.
The Trinamool Congress leader also asked the SSCL nominee director to respond to this notice within five working days failing which he would take up this matter “in the appropriate regulatory and judicial forums as well as in the media”.
