Even as the multi crore banking fraud cases are yet to settle down, a major fraud in disbursement of salaries and bills related to the railway employees has been unearthed in the Indian Railways. The salary bills were generated for “Ghost” employees, who were also disbursed false travelling allowance (TA), overtime allowance (OTA), night duty allowance (NDA) and arrears were for several years.
According to a preliminary report by the Railway Board the scam within Delhi Division of Northern Railway has cost the exchequer Rs 1.5 crore during 2016-17. Sources in the Railway vigilance department said that the scandal could be much bigger when the e- accounts and audit reports of all the 16 zones and other railways PSUs are examined.
The preliminary report on Northern Railway has exposed the nexus between Bill Clerks of Personnel Department and the beneficiaries, all working as Rs pointsman’.
An official explained that the Bill Clerk posted in Delhi DRM office, in this case a lady employee who was given employment on compassionate grounds after the death of husband, used to commit the fraud with other colleagues. . Apparently the prescribed codal provisions for passing of the bills have also not been followed by the concerned officials in this case, noted the investigation reports.
The Ministry of Railways on Wednesday wrote to all the Zonal railways and its PSUs to initiate the investigation in this regard to unearth the racket running with the involvement of rail officials.
“A fraud by manipulation of Pay Roll Computerised System purportedly by creating Ghost employees and false claims of TA, OTA, NDA and arrears has been brought to the notice of the Railway Ministry. Though final report is yet to be received, the Railway Board has taken a view that the fraud in Salary Bills reported by Northern Railways may be brought to the notice of all the Zones and Production Units to conduct similar scrutiny of pay roll records to obviate the possibility of similar frauds,” said Anjali Goyal, Principal Executive Director (accounts), Railway Board, in her letter to the GMs and HoDs.
Goyal has noted that in its preliminary report that railways has reported loss to government exchequer amounting approximately Rs 1,5 crore on scrutiny of Pay Roll records for years 2016 and 2017.