BIDAR: Bidar zilla panchayat will investigate into complaints that some School Development and Management Committee (SDMC) presidents had committed financial irregularities.

We have received some complaints that SDMC presidents in the earlier term have committed irregularities. We have ordered an inquiry into all these complaints, Chief Executive Officer Jitendra Nayak, said during the general body meeting here on Monday.

Members who had raised the issue suggested the Government recover the misappropriated amounts from the salaries of headmasters of schools, who are the SDMC secretaries. The term of the old presidents has ended and new presidents have been elected now. Members alleged that apart from misusing funds, the presidents had carried out low quality work. They also accused the officials of neglecting complaints by zilla panchayat members about the issue.

Members pointed out that from Aurad alone, 42 complaints were received about SDMCs misusing funds ranging from Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 60,000. Mr. Nayak added that Rs. 4 lakh was sanctioned to a school for a new building. The money has been utilised but the building has not been completed, he said.

Members suggested that the zilla panchayat should not release all the money before a project was completed. Money should be released in phases, based on the satisfactory completion of works in the earlier phases, members said. Mr. Nayak said new SDMCs had sworn in 117 of the 173 schools in Bhalki, 160 of the 197 in Basava Kalyan, 127 of the 167 in Humanbad, 104 of the 230 in Aurad, and 128 of the 180 in Bidar taluk.

More school rooms

He also said that the zilla panchayat was planning to construct 193 additional school rooms in the district where the student population had increased.

Some members demanded that some changes be made to this proposal.

BJP member Ramesh Deokatte demanded that all the six engineers suspended on charges of financial irregularities in Aurad taluk be reinstated immediately. He said that they had returned all the money that they had obtained as advance from the zilla panchayat.

However, Mr. Nayak refused to accept the argument saying that these officials were facing a serious charge of carrying out low quality works. Mr. Deokatte walked out in protest.

Mr. Nayak also said that a prima facie inquiry had revealed that six junior engineers in Humnabad were involved in irregularities.President Anil Bhusare, vice-president Jyoti Charan Rathod and others were present.

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