Monday, 29 November 2021 | GP Semwal | Pauri
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had ordered the setting up of a special investigation team (SIT) to probe into irregularities in the GB Pant Engineering and Technology Institute at Ghurdauri but this has not been done yet. Stating this, the institute’s joint employee association president Bharat Singh Negi said that the CM had ordered for the SIT enquiry against suspended registrar Sandeep Kumar on the allegations of financial and other irregularities. Negi said that Dhami had disclosed this when Negi and five Gram Pradhans had met the CM at his residence on September 25. Negi said the order letter is in the Home department and till now no action has been taken by the state government. Negi alleged that Kumar has good connections in the bureaucracy which is why complaints against him had been suppressed for years. Negi said that then Pauri district magistrate Sushil Kumar had recommended SIT enquiry against Sandeep Kumar to government after long agitation by the UttarakhandKranti Dal and public in the year 2017 but then Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and chief secretary Om Prakash didn’t take this seriously and the matter was relegated to the background. Negi appreciated the step taken by CM Dhami to suspend the registrar on allegations of financial irregularities. The action taken by the chief minister has also been welcomed by the officers employees teachers federation and the Uttaranchal federation of ministerial services.
It is pertinent to mention that the primary inquiry was conducted by the then Garhwal commissioner on the complaints of corruption, financial and administrative irregularities by joint employee association of the engineering college along with public and other organisations. Then Garhwal commissioner produced a brief enquiry report to the government on August 16, 2007. The government again conducted an inquiry by additional secretary of Technical Education. In his reported dated April 3, 2008, the additional secretary mentioned that there was no post sanctioned in the college for training and placement officer in the year 2006. Principal of the college ML Deval published an advertisement and appointed Sandeep Kumar to this post, despite Kumar not being qualified.
Staff members and locals point out that the agitation against corruption and other irregularities in the engineering college Ghurdauri , which had started from the year 2007 continues till now and only chief minister Dhami took cognisance on only one complaint and took the prompt action. However, the formation of the SIT is still pending despite Dhami ordering it.
