Inquiry gives clean chit to officials

PANCHKULA: A fortnight after Panchkula Deputy Commissioner Vivek Atray said that officials were hand in glove with the accused in the toilet scam at Batour village, an inquiry conducted by a committee set up for the purpose has given a clean chit to them stating that “no misappropriation of funds has been done”.

Hina Rohtaki

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, May 27

A fortnight after Panchkula Deputy Commissioner Vivek Atray said that officials were hand in glove with the accused in the toilet scam at Batour village, an inquiry conducted by a committee set up for the purpose has given a clean chit to them stating that “no misappropriation of funds has been done”.

The clean chit has been given even though the court had ordered that an FIR be lodged in the case after a 20-year-old youth of the village had placed before it shocking details obtained under the RTI Act on how toilets were constructed in the village only on paper under the MGNREGA scheme.

The inquiry was conducted by a committee comprising the Project Officer of the District Rural Development Authority (DRDA), Devender Sangwan, Naib Tehsildar Kashmiri Lal and Block Development Officer Dinesh Sharma.

The report stated, “After an inspection, it was found that three persons — Maam Chand, Jai Singh and Shero Devi — had demolished their old toilets; All remaining 158 toilets were found constructed. Now, even the other three toilets have been constructed.”

“The committee is of the opinion that all 161 beneficiaries have constructed their toilets and have received the benefit under the scheme. The payments have been made through their respective bank accounts. No misappropriation of funds for construction of toilets has been done.”

After the court ordered an FIR in the case, officials had allegedly started constructing toilets overnight (photos have been placed before the court by Manish). Later, notices were served on villagers asking them why they did not construct toilets thought the money for the purpose had been paid to them.

The case

A 20-year-old college student of Batour village, Manish, had blown the lid off a scam in which officials allegedly siphoned off around Rs 30 lakh meant for the construction of toilets in the village under the MGNREGA scheme in connivance with a gram panchayat member of the village. Not only were 161 toilets shown to have been constructed on paper, daily wages for the construction work were paid to non-existing persons and well-off persons.

Manish had knocked at the doors of the court and got an FIR registered against three persons in the case.