Officials should live in places of posting, minister advises

Kolar, July 3, DHNS:

They are not available before 11 am and after 4 pm in their offices

The district in-charge minister Aravind Limbavali has instructed all the district-level officials in Kolar to base themselves at the places they are posted at, instead of travelling from Bangalore everyday.

Speaking at the general body meeting of the Kolar Zilla Panchayat at the ZP auditorium here on Saturday, Deputy Commissioner N Prabhakar, who is also the in-charge Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Panchayat, said that the district in-charge minister had instructed all the district-level officials who had been posted in Kolar district, to rent or own a house in the district they have been transferred, rather than travelling up and down to Bangalore and Kolar everyday. The minister had further warned the officials to submit their address proof within a week’s time.

Since the officials kept travelling everyday from Bangalore to Kolar, none of them were available at their respective offices before 11 am. Similarly, by 4 pm, the officials are busy leaving for their destinations. These complaints had been increasing day by day and hence, it is made clear that these officials should be better stationed at their duty places.

Warning in writing

All the officers who come under jurisdiction of the Revenue Department are already been instructed in this regard. Also, the officials who come under the Zilla Panchayat jurisdiction have been given warning in writing.

All the district and taluk-level officials should compulsorily reside at the head quarters, where they are posted, the DC said.

Prabhakar further stated that the district in-charge minister had expressed his displeasure over the irregularities reported in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in the district. No information had been provided to the Management Information System (MIS) under the scheme. Hence, the labourers who had toiled under this scheme, were yet to receive their payments.

The Taluk Panchayat’s executive officer is supposed to provide all the necessary information in this regard. Since even he had done his job, there was no need of blaming him in the case.

To have a detailed investigation in this regard a district-level meeting is being formed, which will be presided by the deputy commissioner, he said.

On and off, there have been complaints on the unutilised funds which had been released last time. And also, there are allegations on the utilised funds which have been released this time. In order to have a detailed inquiry in all these issues, the Zilla Panchayat has created a committee, presided by the ZP’s finance officer.

Apart from the above allegations, complaints like loopholes in the distribution of job cards, release of funds inspite of non-implementation of works, etc. Inquiries will be conducted in all these aspects too, and stringent action will be taken against the erring officials, the deputy commissioner told the meeting.

Funds not utilised

Another committee has been constituted in the backdrop of a complaint received that lakhs of money had been released for the students’ hostels in the district, which had never been utilised. Once the committee conducts an investigation in this matter and the report will be submitted, action will be taken based on the report submitted, he said.
Zilla Panchayat member M Shrinivasan raised the subject of allegations on corrupt Panchayat secretaries. He said, there were complaints of corruption against some of the Panchayat secretaries. How many of them had been suspended in this regard, he questioned.

Deputy Secretary Lakshminarayan answered that 14 secretaries had been recommended for suspension. However, the secretaries of Hebbani and Bairakuru Gram Panchayats of Mulbagal taluk had been spared of suspension, he informed.

If there was definite information that the two secretaries were also also corrupt, then they will also not be spared, the DC assured the members.

ZP member Naganal Somanna spoke about the water crisis prevailing in the Kolar taluk. He said the district had received good rains when compared to the last year.

Borewells still dry

But this had not helped the revival of depleting ground water levels, and hence, the borewells were still dry. A proposal will be sent to the Government seeking for special grants to ease the drinking water problem, he said.

He further said, 35,000 Raja Kaluves had been opened in 2009-2010. The task of opening the remaining 1,700 Raja Kaluves in the district was going on. 75,000 families had been identified in the town and in the rural areas who did not own houses and 40,000 families had been identified who did not own sites.

A report will be sought within a week’s time in this regard and measures will be taken to provide residences to all those families, the ZP member informed.

Action against absentees

President of the Zilla Panchayat Mangamma Muniswamy instructed the deputy secretary to initiate action against the officials who remained absent to the general body meeting.
ZP members T Muniraju, Muniswamy, Narayanswamy, Yashodhamma, Vijayalakshmi also spoke on the occasion.

ZP Vice-President Naveeda Khanum was also present at the meeting.

Irregularities in water filter billing

Zilla Panchayat member Venkataramana Reddy alleged at the general body meeting that a total of 451 water filters had been purchased for the anganwadi centres in Bangarpet taluk.

Each water filter had been billed at Rs 4,465, while the actual cost of the each filter was Rs 1,300 only.

From where did the additional amount come from? Who was responsible for the additional bills? It is suspected that the members of the Taluk Panchayat administration was involved in this alleged irregularity. In the last general body meeting, the matter had come up for discussion and also the Zilla Panchayat members were assured that a committee would be constituted to conduct a detailed inquiry in the matter.

So far, no action had been taken, nor any committee has been constutited. The matter needs to be addressed as early as possible, Venkataramana Reddy said, expressing his ire over the matter.

Zilla Panchayat President Mangamma Muniswamy replied that a committee headed by the deputy secretary will soon be constituted. It will be instructed to conduct a detailed inquiry submit a report within a period of 10 days. Action will be taken against the erring officials invovled in the incident only after this, she assured.