No action on bungling, Abohar MC in dock

Our Correspondent

Abohar, March 26

The Department of Local Government has sought explanation from the Abohar Municipal Council why no criminal proceedings were initiated against employees who were indicted in the inspection report submitted in 2015 by the Local Funds Audit Department for causing financial loss worth lakhs of rupees.

BJP leader Pramil Kalani, who quit office of president of the council on March 10, 2018, was later removed by the state government. Since then, the council has got no president or vice-president.

A letter from the Directorate of Local Government said instructions given by the Inspector General of Police clearly referred to the provisions in the Punjab Municipal Account Code for initiating criminal proceedings against the staff indicted for causing financial losses.

The Joint Director, Department of Examiner Local Funds, had in its reports on June 29, 2015, and August 28, 2015, detected serious embezzlements. It surfaced that medical allowance at Rs 500 per month was released in the name of an employee for 14 months even after her death on November 4, 2010. Some other cases were also detected in the special audit.

“The MC was directed on September 15, 2015, and again on October 7, 2015, to take action and submit action-taken report (ATR), but it is unfortunate that no report has so far been received. It should be done immediately and the council must explain the reasons for the delay, the letter said.

In another letter the government had told the MC to submit status report within seven days about a property scam that surfaced in 2010 and a case was registered by the Vigilance Bureau on June 9, 2016, following which clerk Jaspal Singh was suspended.

The Retired Municipal Employees Welfare Association had filed complaint against three former executive officers in this connection. The government has also told the council to inform how much financial loss it suffered (due to the scam).

On November 27, the MC at its meeting had deferred giving consent for taking action against its tainted ex-officers and staff.

Three former executive officials of the MC were indicted in the inquiry report submitted by retired IAS officer RC Nayyar in August last year for “carelessness, negligence and causing financial loss to the council” in the property scam.

The Vigilance Bureau had registered a case in 2016, under Sections 409, 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the IPC and Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. But FIR was registered only against Jaspal Singh, clerk, and ex-president Shivraj Goyal of the BJP. However, both got bail from courts.

The government directed the council to give consent to present challan in the court and initiate proceedings against a dozen staff members who were charge-sheeted for malpractices on other counts, but the same was “deliberately” delayed to save the guilty, complainants said.

Anomalies detected

The Joint Director, Department of Examiner Local Funds, had in his reports on June 29, 2015, and August 28, 2015, detected embezzlements. It had surfaced that medical allowance of Rs 500 per month was released in the name of an employee for 14 months even after her death on November 4, 2010. Some other cases were also detected in the special audit.