Diphu: The Congress party has accused the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) of large-scale financial mismanagement and corruption and has demanded an independent, high-level inquiry into the Council’s activities.
Addressing a joint press conference at Rajiv Bhawan on Friday, District Media Chairperson Charisma Rongpipi and Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Media Spokesperson Mohan Rongpi alleged that the government allocated nearly ?10,000 crore to KAAC for development between 2016-17 and 2025-26, yet people of Karbi Anglong have not witnessed corresponding development on the ground.
The Congress leaders claimed that corruption inside the Council has reached “alarming levels.” They alleged that the administration keeps payments to many contractors pending year after year, while it selectively clears dues for a few favoured firms.
Expressing serious concern, Mohan Rongpi alleged that KAAC is “being sold out,” and said the Council is handing over land and natural resources of Karbi Anglong to corporate interests, which threatens the rights and future of indigenous communities.
The leaders specifically named Kache Enterprise and M/s Inglong Enterprise as firms that repeatedly receive payments, raising doubts over transparency in the tendering and billing process. They further alleged that several infrastructure projects, including road works, carry overlapping work orders under different schemes, which they termed a method to divert public funds.
Congress also accused KAAC of awarding major projects to contractors from outside Karbi Anglong, sidelining local contractors and depriving local youths of employment opportunities. They claimed that the Council grossly overestimates project costs, resulting in huge financial losses.
Criticising the administration, the Congress leaders said the authorities are running KAAC like a private company instead of functioning as a constitutional autonomous body. They claimed to possess evidence of online payments made to petrol stations in the name of “M/s KAAC,” calling it a misuse of public money.
The Congress leadership directly urged Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to order an independent probe into the role of the Chief Executive Member (CEM) and the overall functioning of the Council. They warned that failure to initiate such an inquiry would make the Chief Minister equally accountable for the alleged irregularities.
Concluding the press conference, the leaders asserted that people of Karbi Anglong “will not remain silent” against corruption and exploitation, and they reiterated that transparency, accountability and protection of land and natural resources remain non-negotiable demands.