Suspended a year ago after CM visit,5 UP Dalit engineers still await inquiry outcome

Under rules,a chargesheet is served on a suspended official within three months and the enquiry is completed within six months.

More than a year after they were suspended following Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadavs first field inspection at Lakhimpur Kheri,five Dalit engineers in irrigation department are awaiting outcome of the inquiry. One of them has not even been chargesheeted.

Under rules,a chargesheet is served on a suspended official within three months and the enquiry is completed within six months.

The CMs inspection visit to the Sharda Barrage in Lakhimpur Kheri on April 4 last year resulted in the suspension of six engineers all Dalits. They were Jaipal Singh,engineer-in-chief of Irrigation,chief engineer Awadhu Ram,superintending engineer Lotu Ram and executive engineers Bharat Ram,Yogesh Rawat and Ram Nayan.

Story continues below this ad

As soon as Akhilesh returned to Lucknow,Irrigation Minister Shivpal Yadav issued their suspension orders,charging them with laxity in work and large-scale irregularities in desilting of the Sharda river.

They were attached to the irrigation headquarters in Lucknow,but the department forgot to initiate proceedings against them. After waiting for a few months,the engineers asked for the chargesheets.

Four months later,on August 7,five of the them were given chargesheets when under rules,it should had been served within three months,said Awadhu Ram. The five submitted their replies on September 10. However,Rawat is yet to be served chargesheet. I cannot do anything,I approached the department but I found myself helpless, he said.

Only Jaipal Singh was reinstated on December 5.

The other suspended engineers have submitted representations for their reinstatement.