Scam-tainted officials holding plum posts
PATIALA:Main accused in a case of embezzlement of funds under the Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) in Patiala has been given a posting two ranks higher than his current one. Block development and panchayat officer (BDPO) Dinesh Kumar Vashishat is now deputy director to oversee centrally sponsored schemes. He was even monitoring MNREGA, but that part has since been taken away from him.
Not only Vashishat, the other accused BDPO, Malwinder Singh, has been posted as secretary of zila parishad at Rupnagar.
HT had exposed the scam involving around ₹5 crore in the utilisation of MNREGA funds and rural development grants eight months ago. While the rural development department, in a letter, has listed it as a scam, police, which had registered two FIRs after an eight-month-long probe, had even filed closure reports. But the local court, passing adverse remarks, rejected the cancellation in case of Malwinder Singh, while date of hearing for Vashishat is fixed for August 11.
After the HT expose, a committee headed by deputy controller, finance and accounts, rural development, got the two FIRs registered against the BDPOs on charges of cheating and corruption. Both are still BDPOs. However, both are posted at such places where only a DDPO or deputy director can be posted.
“In a hierarchy, a BDPO is first promoted as DDPO and then deputy director. However, you can well imagine the clout of both officials that they got plum posts. As for Vashishat, even additional deputy commissioners (development) of Punjab are reporting to him for centrally sponsored schemes. Secondly, a person accused of embezzlement in MNREGA was asked to monitor the same,” commented an official, requesting anonymity.
Sources said that after taking over as secretary for rural development, Anurag Verma took away the charge of MNREGA from Vashishat, though he is monitoring other schemes.
Sources said despite indictment by the department, the then rural development minister Sikander Singh Maluka took a lenient view and stopped only one increment of the officers as punishment. A local court has rejected the police’s cancellation report, upon which minister based his judgment to give the BDPOs only minor punishment.
Despite several attempts, secretary Anurag Verma could not be contacted for comment. Sources said he has forward a file to the minister to take fresh note of the scam. Investigation officer, SP GS Bedi, allegedly didn’t visit the villages where the scam had taken place and did not ascertain the MNREGA records before filing a report.