FIR ordered against Panchkula MC officials indicted in probe

Amit Bathla

Panchkula, March 3

MC Commissioner Dharamvir Singh has ordered registration of an FIR against those suspected of embezzling funds meant for cremation of Covid victims.

Cremation of covid victims in Panchkula

The MC chief said he had marked the case file to the officials concerned for registration of an FIR two days ago. The FIR, however, is yet to be registered. On the reason for delay, he said it was being contemplated against how many officials the FIR should be registered.

“Though six officials were indicted in the inquiry report, it was clearly mentioned that only four of them had received funds in their accounts. Further, it came to our notice through bank records that only two of them received funds,” he said.

A preliminary inquiry conducted by the then Joint Commissioner, Vinesh Kumar, had indicted six officials and safai karamcharis for claiming funds for over 900 Covid cremations despite the official toll being just 377 back then.

Of the six employees, the report mentioned that funds were transferred inappropriately into the accounts of four employees, including the then chief sanitary inspector, Madan Lal, and assistant sanitary inspector Ajay Sood, whose roles were confined to just supervision of cremations.

As per the report, Madal Lal got Rs3.22 lakh, Sood got Rs6.30 lakh, Gulab, a safai karamchari, received Rs3.02 lakh and Sonu, another safai karamchari, received Rs1.88 lakh.

According to the inquiry findings, 14 employees were made a payment of Rs31.34 lakh on September 29 last year for cremations. According to the report, Rs20.72 lakh of the total amount was transferred inappropriately. Pending payments, for which claims were made, were put on hold after an inquiry was marked into the matter.

Those found guilty in the inquiry included assistant sanitary inspectors Ajay Sood and Satbir, and safai karamcharis Sonu, Parvesh Kumar and Gulab, besides Madan Lal, the report mentioned.

Acting on the inquiry report, the corporation had first served recovery notices to four employees, but reminders were only sent to two of them.

Dev Raj of Panchkula Vikas Manch, on whose complaint the inquiry was marked into the matter, accused MC officials of “trying to protect the suspects”.

He said, “If the inquiry report mentioned the names of six officials, all should be brought to book.”

The Urban Local Bodies Department, Haryana, had announced that Rs2,000 would be paid to every safai karamchari of the five-member team for cremation of each Covid victim.