A scam of Rs 21 crore has come to light in the Ghazipur provincial section of the Public Works Department (PWD). The expenditure of this amount has been shown on 166 roads without the approval of the government. Against this arbitrariness, the Government has ordered an inquiry against the then Executive Engineer, 4 Assistant Engineers and 15 Junior Engineers and Accounts Officer. If found guilty, action can be taken up to dismissal.
This scam was done in 2019-20 and 2020-21. Fund diversion of Rs 38 crore was done in these two years. In this, 21 crore expenditure has been shown on such works, which were not approved at all. Whereas, diversion of the remaining 17 crores is being told on approved roads.
Irregularities have been confirmed in the preliminary report of the Chief Engineer’s Office of Varanasi and this report has been received by the government. According to sources, whether work has been done on unapproved roads or not, nothing can be said with certainty. This will be known in further investigation. The chief engineer of Azamgarh has been designated as the inquiry officer for further investigation in the matter.
It may be mentioned here that similar serious financial irregularities had come to the fore in 2018 in the township. In this, the then XEN has been dismissed so far, while the recommendation for the dismissal of two assistant engineers has been sent to the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission.