With the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) not responding positively to the state government recommendation of transferring a probe into alleged irregularities in construction of Gomti Riverfront, the statet government has asked Economic Offences Wing (EOW) to investigate the rip off.
Interestingly, the man power sanctioned to the EOW during it formation in 1977 has never been raised despite the agency handling more complicated cases at the present time and has its hands full with more than 600 cases to probe.
What is more, investigation by EOW sleuths are usually lengthy and require massive paper work, but the probe teams hardly have space to store the files or even proper place to sit and carry out official work.
Sources in the EOW confirmed that the probe into irregularities into Gomti Riverfront, involving bigwigs of Samajwadi Party government ould require man power at investigation level and senior officers at supervisory level but the organisation was presently running short of officers of both categories.
During it’s inception in 1977, the government had sanctioned 20 post of Inspectors which copntinues to be the same. At present, though 24 officers are posted but of them, five are sub-inspectors who are ineligible to make enquiry and havebeen posted to facilitate the higher officials.
For supervision, the government had sanctioned eeight posts of Deputy SPs but as present, only five officers are posted while three posts are lying vacant.
The EOW also does not have any officer of Inspector General (IG) or Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank even when two posts each have been sanctioned.
The sanctioned post for Superintendent level is five but at present, there are seven SP rank officers. Similarly, against one post of Additional SP, there are three officers.
Sources claimed that the reeling under heavy backlog of probes, the EOW brass will ask the government for a review of sanctioned quota of officers so that several important probes could be taken up and justice could be delivered by despatching the guilty and corrupt to jail.