'Jharkhand Chief Secretary should not get extension'

The opposition in Jharkhand on Monday demanded that Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma, who is set to superannuate on February 28, should not be given the extension as she has been named in several graft cases.

There have been speculations that the Raghubar Das government is planning to extend the service of Chief Secretary for three months.

"The Chief Secretary is facing serious allegations. There are three such allegations against her. She should not be given extension under any circumstances," Pradeep Balmuchu, a Congress Rajya Sabha MP, told reporters here on Monday.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has also demanded that the Chief Secretary should be removed from her post and appropriate action should be taken against her.

"The bank defaulters are escaping. The Chief Secretary of Jharkhand is facing serious charges in fodder scam... What kind of honesty is prevailing in the government -- both at Centre and state," said Supriyo Bhattacharya, JMM General Secretary.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), since 2003, had sent 17 reminders to Verma regarding her role as Deputy Commissioner (DC) of West Singhbhum in a fodder scam.

There are allegations that Rajabala Verma "did not act as a DC" as crores of rupees were fraudulently withdrawn from the treasury. She did not respond to the CBI notice.

When the issue was highlighted by the media in December 2017, the opposition parties demanded removal of Rajbala Verma from the post of Chief Secretary.

--IANS

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