BANGKOK, June 24 (TNA) – Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda formed a committee to investigate the installation of street lamp posts in many areas of Samut Prakan province and assured that wrongdoers would be punished.
The minister said the investigation concerned expensive lamp posts topped with mythical figures in Samut Prakan and the probe committee would cooperate with the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Office of the Auditor General.
Any officials who are found guilty will be suspended and prosecuted, Gen Anupong said.
The minister said that the Interior Ministry shared its development policy concerning street lamps with local administrative organizations which had freedom in the implementation with their own budgets. If there were irregularities, provincial governors and district chiefs would look into project implementation by local administrative organizations, he said.
In a related development, Songchai Nokkhamin, president of the Racha Thewa tambon administrative organization in Samut Prakan, shelved a 64-million-baht project to additionally procure 720 lamp posts quoted at 95,000 baht each pending the investigation. (TNA)
