MCD to take action against 5 officials in books scam

The vigilance department of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation has initiated "major penalty action" against five officials over alleged misappropriation of funds on books for municipal school libraries.
"The Regular Department Action, our vigilance wing, has initiated action against five officials who now face major penalty measures including suspension of three increments or dismissal from their service," NDMC public relations officer Yogendra Singh Mann told PTI.
The officials, including a retired additional director, have been accused of marking up costs of the copies of a book titled 'Hamare Rashtriya Pratik', which discusses the country's national symbols.
"The issue was raised in 2009 about the accused pushing up the unit cost through binding. MCD records show that Rs 25 lakh was spent on buying copies of this book in 2009, at the rate of Rs 450 each, after the publisher provided 35 per cent discount on the books," Mann said.

The five accused are -- additional director (education) RKS Gaur, assistant director Ashok Kumar Sharma, assistant librarians Mohinder Singh Saini and Sartpal Singh and account officer Premlata, he said.
"While RKS Gaur is retired now, measures against rest were initiated while they were still in office and hence the effects of the vigilance department action will be lifetime. Leaving one, all four officials now fall under the NDMC, post MCD's trifurcation," Mann said.

Mann said, "the accused will be give option to refute the charges but if they are proved, it would serious consequences".
In August, North Delhi Municipal Corporation had suspended seven employees including five engineers in the bribery case involving Micromax mobiles co-founder Rajesh Agarwal.

In the trifurcated MCD, there are over 1,700 corporation schools with more than 1,200 having a library, he said.