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Central investigating agency CBI probing multi crores Srijan scam gives a big blow to accountant general (AG), Bihar while pointing out question of the seriousness in previous audits of government departments done by it and subsequently its failures in detecting massive irregularities here!

Exposer of Srijan scam almost completed one year but the sequences  in ongoing investigation set up by CBI creates many doubts, its failure to nab the big fishes and delay of recovery of lost government’s money.

CBI mainly failed yet to recover three main documents from district administration, Bhagalpur. The three documents are said to be the basic points  from where the multi crores fraudulent was initiated and continued smoothly. Besides for fixing responsibilities on  the than top ranking district official concerned who were allegedly  involved  in the scam, the documents concerned are very important particularly for the CBI.

After CBI, now it is the term of AG, Bihar, to search out the missing documents here. CBI’s action initiated the office of AG, Bihar, has prompted the later to sent a two members team at Bhagalpur to search out such missing documents from one office to another office here.

K P Ramaiya (in red shirt) at a function at Srijan (file Photo)

Comptroller and auditor general of India (CAG), New Delhi also recently sent a letter to DM, Bhagalpur for knowing about the documents. The matter is in the notice of CAG after CBI recently started its investigation at the AG, Patna office related to Srijan case, claimed a source.

CBI which has been fanatically  searching three documents, in three most import events in the games of embezzling cores of government’s money by Srijan and its nexuses, are mainly the letter of former district magistrate, K P Ramaiya in which he directed all the block development officers (BDOs) to deposit all funds in Srijan Mahila bank instead of nationalized banks. Second is handing over training rural youth for self employment (TRYSEM) building at the premises of Sabour block. The third document which has been searched by CBI is the letter of the than district magistrate, Bhagalpur Bipin Kumar who in 2008 instructed to close all such government accounts which were operating in Srijan Mahila bank.

A photo recovered from Srijan office which shows Bipin Kumar (in orange jacket) at function in Srijan office. (file photo)

A two members team from the office AG, Bihar, Patna came here and started searching the letter of former DM, Bhagalpur, Bipin Kumar who on March 17, 2008 directed all concerned government departments in his letter (letter No 651) to close its all accounts which were running in Srijan Mahila bank. The letter has been missing since long, said a source in the office of district magistrate. But the source pointed out that they came to know about the letter which was issued from the district welfare department. “We came to know about the letter from the issue register of welfare department here but the evidence of tempering the letter No and date in the register is clearly evident,” the source said.

District magistrate, Pranav Kumar is not available but the source said like the previous letter of the than DM, Bhagalpur, K P Ramaiya (letter No-1136/ December 20, 2003) came to light from the issue register of district collectorate, Bhagalpur. Similarly earlier on 2000 Bhagalpur district administration handed over the TRYSEM building some 24725 square feet located in the campus of Sabour block, some 8 km east of Bhagalpur district headquarters to Srijan for its central office. The building was leased out to Srijan on 2004 for 30 years with monthly rent of Rs 200 and after 2015 Srijan had stopped to pay the monthly rents.

Since on leased land no permanent construction is allowed, the officials concerned at that time managed first allotting the lands and after construction of the TRYSEM building, it was handed over to Srijan. The construction of the building was completed during the tenure of Ramaiya, said the source. It also said that then than deputy development commissioner (DDC), Bhagalpur Alice Usha Rani on October 3, 2000 in her letter to BDO, Sabour instructed to allot TRYSEM building to Srijan. Srijan which used to pay the rent annually, did not mentioned in any audit report, the source claimed.

Another Photo recovered from Srijan office shows Alice Usha Rani receiving gifts at Srijan office. (file photo)

“CBI has started raising the point of how AG office at that time conducted audits at Bhagalpur while closing its eyes?” the team members of AG office revealed on condition of anonymity and finding of the letters  could give some relief to the than audits conducted by AG, Bihar. The team members also disclosed that the references of the three letters came in case dairy (the FIRs earlier instituted by SIT and subsequently transferred to CBI), confessional statement of some of the persons arrested/ interrogated at that time. The facts of the three missing letters also corroborated in the in house departmental investigating reports which were conducted by the than DM, Bhagalpur, Adesh Titarmare also, the AG, Bihar office team members disclosed.

“We drastically started searching the required letters and the other concerning documents. But we are not sanguine to have it as we yet not get the original letter written by Ramaiya or the related documents concerned of the episode of transferring of TRYSEM building to Srijan. The nexus of local staffs with Srijan here at that time played a big role in missing of such documents,” alleged a staff at district collectorate.