Pyngrope, who took part in a meeting to discuss action by various public accounts committees on the findings of the CAG reports, said more powers should be given to Assembly and parliamentary committees. Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar convened the meet in New Delhi on Monday.
“I have submitted the suggestion during the meeting that various House committees should be enshrined in the Constitution, which will help the committees function with accountability,” the Meghalaya Speaker said.
The meeting of Assembly Speakers and heads of various public committees was called in the national capital following the delay on the part of the state Legislatures and Parliament to act on many annual reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India on various corruption charges.
Pyngrope said another suggestion he made was regarding the need on the part of ministers to appear before the public accounts committees, rather than sending the officers to reply on specific matters related to expend-iture or other corruption charges.
He also said the reports of various Assembly committees should be discussed in the House and the same should be either passed or rejected by the Assembly after proper deliberation.
Several Meghalaya legislators were under the scanner of CAG after they had allegedly submitted fake travel allowance bills after undertaking a foreign tour in 2006.
The CAG, in its 2009-10 audit report for Meghalaya in March this year and tabled in the state Assembly, had pointed out alleged misappropriation of public money by way of submission of fake travel allowance bills by many legislators who had undertaken the tour.
After the matter came to light, the Assembly Speaker had referred the matter to the public accounts committee of the Assembly.
However, the NGOs under the banner the Steering Committee Against Murder of Democracy who were sceptical about the outcome of the inquiry by the public account committee, filed an FIR at Sadar police station here on March 22.
The NGOs have decided to meet chief minister Mukul Sangma on the matter.
The Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai during his recent visit here said every citizen could take recourse to the legal route, including filing of PIL based on the findings of the CAG.
Rai, who also attended the Delhi meet, had underscored the need for state Legislatures to take serious note of various CAG findings when they are placed in the Assemblies.