Water works dept employee for pinching fund

YAVATMAL: The Yavatmal Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer Deepak Singla has on Wednesday suspended one of the clerks of Water Works Department attached to his office for pinching the amount meant for the payment of arrears regarding the senior and selection grade pay fixation of a few employees who are now retired from service.
According to the CEO Deepak Singla, two of the superannuated employees of the ZP Water Works sub division have lodged written complaints against one of the clerks G.V.Gawande of the same department alleging that the clerk has withdrawn the arrears meant for them from the Govt exchequer and later deposited in his own personal bank account sans any prior permission or intimation to his high authorities.
“I have ordered a probe in to the allegations and it was found that the clerk was guilty of misappropriation of fund,” Singla said, adding that he has suspended the guilty clerk and ordered a further departmental enquiry against him.
When contacted the Deputy Engineer of Water Works Department D.H. Dakhore, the amount was meant for the payment of arrears of pay fixation regarding the senior grade and selection grade of the employees after they complete 12 and 24 years of service. The clerk has withdrawn the amount and credited in his personal account which is not permitted in the service rules.
Enquiries revealed that the clerk has admitted his guilt and refunded the amount to the concerned employees during the enquiry. The complainants have already been superannuated and they made a number of visits to the office for their arrears but had to go back empty-handed due to the irresponsible attitude of the clerk.
However, it is not admissible in the existing service rules and hence he has been kept under suspension followed by a Departmental Enquiry (DE) to be started soon, Dhakore said.
It is pertinent to note here that in 2012, similar pinching of pension amount to the tune of Rs. 27 lakh belonging to a number of pensioners attached to the Wani Panchayat Samiti by theclerk in connivance of the Accounts Officer and the then BDO. The amount was deposited in various bank accounts in the Wani Branch of Bank of Maharashtra by the concerned clerk Avinash Balki.
The Bank Manager had, after suspecting a fake transaction by one of the benami account holders, reported the matter to the BDO of Wani Panchayat Samiti.
The BDO had taken it lightly and advised the clerk to return the amount to the concerned pensioners which he had done.
Taking it as a serious offence, the then CEO Navalkishor Ram had ordered a probe in to the murky affairs and on receiving a report confirming the allegation of pinching the pension amount, suspended the clerk, Accounts Officer and the BDO of Wani.
The similar misappropriation of amount meant for a few pensioners under ZP Water Works Department was reenacted now and the CEO Deepak Singla has taken a serious view of the case and kept the concerned clerk under suspension.