Haryana lokayukta has recommended registration of criminal case against four IAS officers in the Rs 25.13 crore scam in the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MGNREGA) in Ambala between 2007 and 2010.
The IAS officers include Faridabad deputy commissioner Sameer Pal Srow, Managing Director in Haryana federation of cooperative sugar mills Mohammed Shayin, Kurukshetra deputy commissioner Sumedha Kataria and Director, Women and Child Development Department Renu Phulia.
lokayukta Justice retd. Nawal Kishore Agarwal pronounced the verdict after finding that the State Government did not initiate action against the four IAS officers in the MGNREGA scam in which irregularities reportedly to a tune of Rs 25.13 crore took place.
Justice Agarwal has sent his recommendations to state chief secretary D S Dhesi for further action. The verdict came on a petition moved by Panipat based RTI activist PP Kapoor.
The orders also raised questions on current Manohar lal led Haryana Government’s claims of “zero tolerance against corruption”. The current BJP Government and previous Bhupinder Singh Hooda Government had failed to take action against these IAS officers.
The lokayukta has also directed that after the registration of criminal case against the four IAS, a senior police officer should be appointed to investigation the matter expeditiously. If, on investigation, the investigation officer finds sufficient material against any person other than these, it is for him to take appropriate action against them, stated the orders.
The lokayukta has also directed the government to submit an action taken report on the recommendations within three months.
In view of my foregoing findings, discussions and observations, which are based on vigilance inquiry, it is recommended to the competent authority to initiate appropriate action including registration of criminal case against them, the lokayukta said in its order.
Notably, Haryana Vigilance Bureau had in January 2015 registered a case against nine officials of Forest Department, Ambala over alleged misappropriation of funds. The Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar had ordered the registration of a case against forest officials in this matter, which had been lingering for several years.
RTI activist PP Kapoor, in his complaint, alleged that while a case had been registered against the forest department officials, similar action was not taken against the IAS officers, who he claimed, were being shielded by the government.
Vigilance Bureau, Ambala, had sent a 400-page-report in which it claimed to have detected embezzlement in schemes meant for developing nurseries, herbal parks, afforestation and construction of pathways in rural areas. The vigilance bureau report had also mentioned flouting of rules by IAS and other officers while releasing funds to the district forest officers.
Out of total allocation of Rs 46.04 crore, an amount of Rs 25.13 crore was allegedly released without approval, according to the probe.
An FIR was registered in January, 2015, under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act and sections of Indian Penal Code against nine forest officials.
The lokayukta observed, “Corruption in government programmes has remained a serious concern and MGNREGA is no exception”.
"It is very difficult to believe that they (officers) will regularly release funds to the forest officials ignoring the real execution of the work and also ignoring several rules framed in this regard without any motive and only due to supervisory lapse,” the orders stated.
"Moreover, the inquiry was conducted under the supervision of DG, State Vigilance Bureau, who himself highlighted several instances leading to his conclusion that the IAS/HCS officers are guilty of active and deliberate cooperation in misappropriation of funds with the forest officials", the lokayukta said in the order.
Meanwhile, Haryana’s Health Minister and Ambala Cantt MlA Anil Vij hailed the lokayukta's decision.
Terming the lokayukta order as “historic”, Vij said, “Saplings had been shown planted in certain villages where no land was available. The labourers which they showed as having been paid, also did not exist in those villages. On paper, they showed that a road had been constructed, which again was untrue”.