GUWAHATI, June 19 ? Gauhati High Court has served show-cause notice to Assam State Development Corporation for Scheduled Caste (ASDCSC) Ltd after hearing a writ petition wherein an aggrieved ?beneficiary? brought allegation of irregularities in distribution of 2 Maruti Van sponsored by National Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) Ltd. When contacted by this newspaper the Chief Accountant of the ASDCSC Lt Sri BN Das, confirmed that a court notice was received by the Corporation on June 18 last asking it to show cause on alleged irregularities in distribution of Maruti Van among beneficiaries.
The ASDCSC Ltd official informed that the Corporation would respond to the Court show-cause in time. It was alleged in the petition filed by one Smt Phul Kumari Talukdar Kalita that the ASDCSC Ltd authority for the reason best known to it was not allotting Maruti Van sponsored by the NSFDC Ltd, as per the serial nos of beneficiaries whose name was there in the selection list of 1999-2000 as approved by the Chairman of the ASDCSC Ltd and the Selection Board. The petitioner alleged that although her name was at the Serial No. 14 of the ?selection list?, the ASDCSC Ltd was yet to release the Maruti Van for her while at least two beneficiaries whose names were listed far down the selection list below her name, were provided with the vehicles in gross violation of norms. It was alleged that the ASDCSC Ltd had been dithering on release of Maruti Vans to beneficiaries selected in 1999-2000 on the pretext of lack of fund. However, the hornet?s nest was stirred in February this year when the ASDCSC Ltd released Maruti Vans to atleast two beneficiaries whose names were far below in the selection list of 26 beneficiaries.
When the aggrieved beneficiaries raised protests the Department chose to silence them by signing agreements in court papers with some of them giving them an impression that the vehicles for them would be released soon. However, it did not materialise forcing one of them, Phul Kumari Talukdar Kalita to knock at the door of Gauhati High Court. It may be mentioned that ASDCSC Ltd provides Maruti Van to unemployed Scheduled Caste youths from low income group after taking seed money at the rate of 15 per cent of the value of the car. The scheme if financed by NSFDC Ltd, a Government of India undertaking. The beneficiaries are charged 7 per cent yearly interest on the loan granted.