Delhi nod for action against IAS officer

KOLKATA: The Centre has given sanction to the state to prosecute against IAS officer Godala Kiran Kumar for his alleged involvement in the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) scam. Kumar is serving as joint secretary in the agriculture department and is posted at Nabanna.
However, out of the eight cases lodged with Pradhananagar police station, under Siliguri police commissionerate, against Kumar, the department of personnel and training (DoPT) has granted sanction against the 2005 batch IAS officer in one case only.While he was serving as DM of Malda, he was arrested by Siliguri police, but got bail in the corruption case in 2013.
Officials said the SJDA scam involves siphoning of Rs 200crore meant for projects that were executed only on paper, which happened when Kumar was the SJDA chief executive officer.
CID and the enforcement directorate are probing the SJDA case. The IAS officer was questioned along with former SJDA chairman Dr Rudranath Bhattacharya, a Trinamool MLA from Siliguri. Bhattacharya was removed because of his involvement and North Bengal development minister Gautam Deb became SJDA chairman in March 2013.
Experts said that with criminal cases pending against Kumar, the sanction by DoPT can prove fatal. If the CID files chargesheets, Kumar’s service career could be jeopardized.
Officials said that in 2012, tenders were floated for construction of electric furnaces in crematoria in Malbazar, Maynaguri and Bagdogra, along with some projects in Jorapani and installation of CCTV. In seven SJDA projects, anomalies were spotted and FIRs were lodged, an official said.