Urban Coop bank probes accounts of fake CMC staff

[karira]

Urban Coop bank probes accounts of fake CMC staff

CUTTACK: The issue of fake employees in the Cuttack Municipal Corporation has not only kept burning for over past seven years but also getting murkier by the passing day.

While the alleged detection of a sarpanch of one district drawing salary from the civic body had caused a furore prompting the High Court to take note and order a Crime Branch probe into the issue of fake employees, the Urban Cooperative Bank has started an enquiry into the account of the person in question.

Prashant Samal, the sarpanch of Bauripada gram panchayat under Simulia panchayat samiti in Balasore district and the man in the eye of the storm, has been alleged to have manipulated documents of identity proof provided to the bank after the issue came to light. The fudging was done allegedly in connivance with some bank staff.

President of the Bank Sajjan Sharma and Chief Executive Dharmananda Das said they had initiated an enquiry into the allegations and will take action on the basis of the report which is expected soon.

The two voters� identity cards, provided by Samal during opening of his accounts at College Square branch and the Main Branch for credit of salary from CMC, have allegedly been changed after the controversy erupted. The matter was first brought to light by the former chairperson of the Simulia panchayat samiti Sarojini Mohapatra.

She had lodged a complaint with the CMC C o m m i s s i o n e r while seeking all details on Samal�s appointment in the Corporation under the RTI Act. The Corporation had found prima facie evidence and blocked his salary since August pending enquiry.

However, in the meantime a namesake had also surfaced claiming to be the real Prashanta Samal but he too had not been seen earlier in the department.

The Orissa High Court, on the intervention petition of amicus curiae PR Das, had directed the Crime Branch to conduct the probe and submit its report in December.

Existence of fake employees in large number in the civic body was first detected in 2000 by the then chief executive Vishal Dev and a list of 146 persons was drawn from different departments and wings. But the malady continued to afflict the corporation for lack of any corrective measures by the authorities or the Government.

Urban Coop bank probes accounts of fake CMC staff - Newindpress.com