Bhatia moots action against 31 engineers

PUNE, Jan 14: Pune Divisional Commissioner Arun Bhatia, inquiring into the graft charges in the renovation of the Neera left bank canal, ...

PUNE, Jan 14: Pune Divisional Commissioner Arun Bhatia, inquiring into the graft charges in the renovation of the Neera left bank canal, has recommended actions against 31 irrigation officials for corruption and irregularities worth over Rs 187.67 lakh. The one-man Bhatia committee also has suggested departmental inquiries against all, including a now retired chief engineer of the Pune Irrigation Circle PIC.

Bhatia has recommended suspension of three of the former superintending engineers, four executive engineers who were later elevated three deputy engineers, 18 junior engineers and two accountants. He has also recommended criminal proceedings against former chief engineer S E Bhelke, assistant chief engineer S G Bagul and two superintending engineers K A Deshmukh and K D Deshpande for shielding 8220;organised corruption8221;. These officials were aware of the misdeeds, Bhatia said . He added that deliberate suppression of these facts indicates their collusion and conspiracy.

The report was faxed to the State Government yesterday, sources said.Bhatia was asked in August 1996 to probe into the charges of corruption and irregularities in renovation of the canal in eastern Pune district in the years between 1988-1991. He said the vigilance squad vested with the responsibility of undertaking preliminary investigations into the charges deliberately shielded the guilty officials.

The vigilance squad headed by a superintending engineer presented three reports to the Government, two in March 1991 and one in April 1991. But none spoke of any corruption. Interestingly, says Bhatia, none of these reports and remarks presented by officials at various levels including the then PIC chief engineer, an assistant chief engineer and a joint secretary who physically had checked the work at the canal, had mentioned the corruption and irregularities in the Neera work.

Bhatia also has recommended a detailed inquiry into the work done on entire 153 km stretch of the canal, since the corruption charges worth over Rs 187 lakh which he probed into, were confined to the work on just 42 kilometers.

The initial inquiry was launched following a complaint from a vigilance section deputy engineer S P Kulkarni alleging several irregularities in the renovation. Bhatia8217;s report said the irrigation department officials never accounted several cubic meters of silt excavated from the canal resulting into misappropriation to the tune of Rs 79.75 lakh.