In a drastic step, Uttarakhand Government has stripped the Pauri municipal council chairman Yashpal Benam of all the financial power from immediate effect from Thursday. The financial power which has been snatched from the chairman would rest with the District Magistrate Pauri till further notice. The action came after the inquiry report submitted by then DM found Benam guilty for the financial irregularities and misappropriation of municipality funds.
While the Urban Development Department officers said that the mail has been sent to the District Magistrate on Friday, the District Magistrate confirmed that the same had been received.
Observers have hailed the move, saying that the previous Congress-helmed Government had not taken any action against Benam. He was under the protection of some Congress leaders, they said.
The BJP-led State Government has finally taken the action after several memorandums were served to the Chief Minister and other Ministers. Things capped as the Secretary, Urban Development, Radhika Jha issued the order stripping Benam of the financial power he was enjoying as the president of Pauri Nagar Palika.
Notably, the State Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik said while talking to the media in Pauri on Thursday that the legal action would be taken against those found guilty within a week.
It is pertinent to mention that Benam and two former executive officers were found prima facie at fault in matters of financial irregularities and misappropriation of funds as per the inquiry report of then DM and then Garhwal Commissioner.
Things had started following a seven-point complaint submitted by six members of the municipal council regarding financial irregularities and misuse of the civic body funds in February 2015. This had been followed by then Commissioner CS Napchayal directing then DM to inquire into the allegation and submit a report.
Then, then DM Chandra Shekhar Bhatt had stated in his report that Benam and then executive officers Darban Singh Rana and Ramesh Prasad Semwal were prima facie guilty of financial irregularities. Napalchayal had subsequently forwarded the inquiry report to then state government in March 2016. Since then, things kept hanging fire with the Congress-led Government choosing to sit on the report.