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�Probe report submission to take time�

By Mayukh Goswami

MANGALDAI, Oct 11 - The submission of report of the probe into an incident of alleged forgery in salary bills involving several lakhs of rupees of the Mangaldai Irrigation Division is likely to be delayed. This was indicated by Mahesh Basumatary, FAO, Darrang Zila Parishad who is a member of the three member inquiry committee headed by an Assistant Commissioner of the Deputy Commissioner's office while talking to this correspondent on Friday.

�We can�t complete it hurriedly. It will take time as we have to look into different aspects of possible lapses,� he reiterated. The Committee on the basis of the directives of the Deputy Commissioner started the inquiry process last month. The Executive Engineer-cum-the Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) of Mangaldai Irrigation Division reportedly submitted salary bills of 13 Grade IV staff each for a period of four months from April, 2019 who had already retired from service. On suspicion, the district treasury office stopped the payment and asked the DDO, Mrinal Mani Bhattacharya to produce the relevant government order. However, he failed to submit any such government order. In such circumstances, the District Treasury Officer reportedly forwarded the matter to the Deputy Commissioner with an objection note seeking his intervention.

Subsequently, the Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Dass ordered a magisterial probe and formed a three-member inquiry committee comprising an Assistant Commissioner, FAO of Darrang Zila Parishad and District Elementary Education Officer (DEEO), Darrang. Meanwhile, talking to this correspondent on Thursday over phone from Guwahati, Executive Engineer Mrinal Mani Bhattacharya asserted that he has done nothing wrong. �This is not a case of retired staff being reinstated. It�s just a correction of their retirement ages and the Chief Engineer, Irrigation office is very well aware of it,� Bhattacharya said.

It may be mentioned here that Executive Engineer Bhattacharya who had joined Mangaldai nearly one year back recently placed his Head Assistant Umesh Deka on suspension on charges of misleading the previous Executive Engineer for promoting a few Grade IV employees without following the necessary departmental norms.

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