BDPO office staff ‘siphon off’ funds, probe ordered

The Rural Development and Panchayats Department has launched a probe after staff members at the office of the Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) here were accused of usurping government funds by showing development works at a fictitious village. A two-member fact-finding panel was constituted to look into the issue by department Director Paramjit Singh on January 24.

The panel comprising Amardeep Singh Gujral, Divisional Deputy Director, Jalandhar, and Muktsar ADC (D) Gurdarshan Singh Kundal has been asked to ascertain whether the new village was deliberately created or it happened due to an oversight.

According to accusations, a group of officials showed the spending of lakhs of rupees on development works at the fictitious village, whose name resembled another village in the area.

The funds were withdrawn in the name of “New Gatti Rajo Ke” village, whereas the actual name was “Navi Gatti Rajo Ke”.

Gujral said he has issued separate letters to the ADC (Development), Executive Engineer Panchayat Raj and Public Works Department, besides the Zila Parishad Deputy Director, asking them to visit Navi Gatti Rajo Ke village to check the development works carried out there and file a report with photographs within seven days.

The alleged scam was unearthed by an RTI activist Gurdev Singh. “As per online records, the department carried out 55 projects worth lakhs of rupee in the case. These works included a new park in a primary school, laying of interlocking tiles in a street at the village that actually does not exist,” said Gurdev Singh.