RAUTAHAT, NOVEMBER 18
Complaints have been filed against Rautahat's Durga Bhagawati Rural Municipality Chairperson Arun Kumar Sah alleging massive irregularities under numerous headings'.
Complaints were filed with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and other bodies having oversight over the irregularities at the local level by Sunil Singh, a resident of Ganga Pipara, Durga Bhagawati Rural Municipality-, accusing various acting chief administrative officers of misusing government money by changing the procedure to suit their interests and against the local level governance act under Sah's instruction.
The complaints have also sought investigation and action against the guilty.
The complainant has accused the chief administration officers of action upon Sah's instruction and relocating the development budget for other purposes without any apparent reason. Similarly, the complaints have also accused that there were attempts to award a 230 million rupees worth tender this fiscal to some particular person without following the necessary process of publishing public notice in some national media for the same and of transferring the chief administration officer after he refused to approve the bid. As per the Procurement Directory 2017, any contract worth over Rs 20 million must be finalised through electronic medium. But RM chief Sah is said to have got a tender notice published secretly on September 10. Besides, the complainant has also asked for the rationale behind purchase of hand pipes worth millions of rupees well before the tender was even approved.
Again, investigation has also been sought into irregularities in society security allowance. According to the complainant, Sah has misappropriated millions of rupees in the name of social security allowance for the past three years ever since he was elected to the post in the name of fake individuals that he created.
Besides, complaints have also been filed with the national anti-graft body, at the Office of the Chief Minister, Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Finance, National Invigilation Centre, Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration and District Administration Office.
When contacted, the chief district officer admitted a complaint had been filed and said necessary documents were sent to the CIAA for investigation, RM chairperson Sah refused to comment and said he would speak only when asked by the agency concerned.
A version of this article appears in the print on November 19, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
