JUSTICE NAIDU COMMISSION SUBMITS INTERIM REPORT ON LIQUOR TRAGEDY TO THE GOVT

JUSTICE NAIDU COMMISSION SUBMITS INTERIM REPORT ON LIQUOR TRAGEDY TO THE GOVT 07/05/2012

SIDDHARTHA SHANKAR MISHRA,BUREAU CHIEF,ODISHA
INDINO/THESE DAYS NEWS SERVICE :-

The Justice AS Naidu Commission submits interim report on Cuttack-Khurda liquor tragedy of February to the State Government.

In the interim report the commission has made certain recommendations to the State Government like what measures to be taken to ensure that such tragedies do not recur in future.
In its order on the day, the commission informed that it has made certain suggestions in the interim report submitted to the Chief Minister. “It’s apt to mention here that the commission in its interim report has not expressed any opinion with regard to any latches or deliberate omissions and commissions of officers belonging to different departments,” the order said.

However, during its fourth sitting here on Sunday, the commission again came down heavily on the Government for not engaging a Government advocate till date to assist it in going ahead with its proceedings. Without waiting for the Government to act, the commission on the day appointed Pravat Ranjan Dash, a public spirited lawyer of the High Court, as amicus curie who would henceforth assist the commission.

Meanwhile, as directed, the two DCPs of Commissionerate police, S Praveen Kumar of Cuttack and Neetinjit Singh of Bhubaneswar, appeared personally before the commission and filed their respective affidavits. The commission, accepting the affidavits, exempted both officers from further personal appearances. “Only the investigating police officers involved in the tragedy shall appear before the Commission during its sittings,” the order further said.

The commission also received as many as seven more affidavits, including that of the two DCPs, taking the total number of affidavits it received till date to 57.