SCERT chief under vigilance scanner

BHUBANESWAR: The Orissa Government on Saturday asked the State Vigilance to probe� alleged misappropriation and financial impropriety by Director of State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Sebak Tripathy.

�Tripathy is alleged to have taken illegal remuneration from the schematic funds placed by the Government over the years, besides misusing his position.� He has been holding the post of SCERT Director since January 2006.

�After the Chief Minister’s Office gave a go-ahead following a report, the School and Mass Education department asked the Vigilance to take over investigation.

�Meanwhile, Tripathy has been reverted to Higher Education department and Satyakam Mishra, president of Board of Secondary Education, has been given additional responsibility as Director, SCERT.

�Official sources said a series of complaints against Tripathy had prompted the department to initiate an enquiry against him.� A committee had been set up in March and it submitted its report, confirming the allegations of financial embezzlement, in May.� Audit reports too had pointed at impropriety by Tripathy, who was subsequently issued a showcause notice to explain his stand by August 15.

�However, his reply was found to be unsatisfactory by the enquiry committee following which the School and Mass Education department requested the Chief Minister’s Office to order an enquiry by an independent fact-finding agency into the alleged embezzlement and recover the funds.

�Even as the department was enquiring Tripathy’s alleged impropriety, the Income Tax department reports also submitted statements on his tax deduction, which corroborated the allegations.

�Sources said Tripathy had taken remuneration and honorarium, to which he is reportedly not entitled to, from different schemes of the department.� He had allegedly misused vehicles and even paid private travel agencies for conveyance, one of which did not exist.

�Besides, the charges against him included following irregular process of procurement, non-submission of utilisation certificates and circumventing government orders.� According to the department, the SCERT had close to 20 bank accounts __ something which is not allowed __ by the Government. Of these bank accounts, he was the single signatory for at least 17.

�The State Vigilance confirmed that it has been asked by the Government for a probe.� “We were already conducting an enquiry in this regard basing on an audit report. Once the inquiry report is placed, we will register a case and draw up the FIR,” Director, Vigilance, Anup Kumar Patnaik told this paper.