Sarpanch among 3 booked for graft

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Rewari, May 16

Three persons, including sarpanch of Dhaliyavaas village, a gram sachiv and Additional SDE (electrical) of the Panchayati Raj Department, have been booked on charge of embezzlement of public funds in the purchase of streetlights.

An inquiry report prepared by Rewari DDA stated: “Kanta Devi, sarpanch of Dhaliyavaas village, a gram sachiv and Additional SDE (electrical) of the Panchayat Raj Department violated instructions and spent Rs 25,000 in excess of the permissible expenditure. They are liable to face recovery and police action for embezzling public money.”

Sources said the inquiry revealed the streetlights were bought at a higher rate from some other district whereas the same were available in Rewari at a lower rate.

The inquiry was conducted following directive by Punjab and Haryana High Court on a petition filed by Rakesh Yadav of Dhaliyavaas village.

“The sarpanch bought 100 streetlights for the village at a rate of Rs 2,700 per item from Gurugram while the government had fixed permissible limit of Rs 2,450 per light. The streetlights were also of an inferior quality. I had filed a complaint on the CM window in June last year seeking an inquiry into the matter,” Yadav told The Tribune.

All the three accused have been booked under Section 409 (Criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.