Hindustan
Times: Karnal: Wednesday, 15 April 2015.
Following
chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar's green signal, chief secretary, vigilance,
has decided to seek explanations from Chandigarh deputy commissioner Mohammad
Shayin and three other senior bureaucrats for their alleged roles in the
misappropriation of funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Employee Guarantee
Scheme (MNREGS) in Ambala district.
Besides,
former Ambala deputy commissioner, RP Bhardwaj has also been asked to furnish
his reply on the vigilance bureau report against him.
This was
stated by the state vigilance department in a reply to a Right to Information
(RTI) application filed by PP Kapoor, a resident of Samalkha in Panipat on
Monday.
The
department stated that on April 3 the chief secretary was been asked to serve
notices to IAS officers - Mohammad Shayin, Sameer Pal Srow (both former Ambala
deputy commissioners), Renu Phulia and Sumedha Kataria (both former Ambala
additional deputy commissioner).
"It has
been pointed out various rules of MNREGS were violated (by the accused
bureaucrats) while releasing funds to the (then) district forest officer
(territory). Out of total allocation of `46.04 crore, a sum of Rs 25.13 crore was released without
administrative and technical approvals," reads the 'confidential'
vigilance bureau (VB) note.
The official
document shared under the RTI Act said: "Director general, vigilance had
enquired the case. Further examination of the matter observed that the VB has
pointed out various acts of omissions and commissions by the then DCs and ADCs
of Ambala."
The
development is significant because the Khattar government was charged with
selectively shielding the accused bureaucrats.
In a
complaint to the Lokayukta, Kapoor had also alleged that while forest officials
were booked immediately, VB bureau's findings against top officials was
'shelved' under the garb of further consideration.
Following an
the complaint by Kapoor, Haryana Lokayukta Justice (retd) Pritam Pal had sought
a report from chief secretary, DS Dhesi in the same matter.
The Lokayukta
had sent a communication on February 5 to the chief secretary seeking a report
on the complaint within 45 days and also sought copy of the inquiry report
prepared by VB.
On the basis
of an inquiry by VB, the state government had on January 27 ordered
registration of a criminal case against nine officials of the forest department
for allegedly siphoning funds by fabricating records and preparing fictitious
data.
The VB in its
inquiry report recommended that the state government might take
"appropriate action" at its own level against the accused senior
bureaucrats.
Subsequently
a case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and
Prevention of Corruption Act against forest officials.
Vigilance
probe had alleged that these officials kept on disbursing the MNREGS funds
despite the fact that management information system (MIS) data was not
completed, job card records were not made available online and no monthly
progress report was received by them.
Chain of
events
January 27:
State govt registers a criminal case against nine officials of the forest
department for allegedly siphoning MGNREGS funds on the basis of vigilance
bureau report
January 30:
One PP Kapoor files a complaint with the Lokayukta alleging that the government
was shielding the accused bureaucrats as it had acted only against forest
officials
February 5:
Lokayukta asks the chief secretary to furnish a report on a complaint within 45
days and demands a copy of the VB report
April 3:
Vigilance bureau directs chief secretary to serve notices on four serving and
one retired IAS officer including Chandigarh DC Mohammad Shayin
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