Our Bureau/

Rani Devi (38) a maha dalit  forth grade staffs in the office of Zila Parisad, Bhagalpur though managed to perform the last rights of her brother while after begging door to door but doesn’t know how to conduct the other rituals.

Sajan , brother of Rani , a 4 th grade staff at Zila Parisad office ,died due to lack of treatment. Rani who yet not received her salary for the last five months, failed to provide treatment to Sajan. And Rani along with other staffs at the office virtually stared starving without salary which has been blocked mainly due to Srijan scam.

Zilla Parisad office was under the influence of Srijan scam and since CBI has started investigating the scam, seized all the documents concerned of the office resulting the block of salary of the staffs at the office.

On December 15,  soon after the death of Sajan, Rani along with her daughter and two sisters came to Zila Parisad office with the dead body. “You people didn’t give me my dues but now please pay my dues so that I could perform the last rituals of my brother. Look how my brother died mainly due to penury as I didn’t arrange treatment for him,” she was weeping profusely and was trying to convince the staffs there.

“Since not a single official was present here we sent her to collectoriate for the official concerned,” staffs at Zila Parisad told today.

She went to the collectoriate with the dead body but the guards at the get prevented her to meet with the official concerned mainly,  to meet,  Anand Sharma, deputy development commissioner (DDC) and Sanjoy Kumar, director, DRDA and in-charge of additional chief executive officer, Zila Parisad. Finally she returned back and again came with an application in the name of DDC, Bhagalpur requesting for Rs 2000 as advance for performing the rituals which she ultimately didn’t received.

“Earlier on December 9, Rani came to meet Sanjoy Kumar and was weeping for the money for the treatment of her brother,” recalled some staffs at the office.

“I along with my two sisters somehow managed Rs 1500 till evening which is not sufficient for conducting last rights of my brother. So we had to beg door to door for collecting money,” she said today.

Rani earlier managed the 4 th grade job at the office of Zila Parisad on compensatory ground after the death of her father on 1997. Her brother was mentally challenged, so the job was provided to her, staffs in the office told.

Meena Devi and Sudni Devi, the two sisters of Rani informed that their brother, Sajan died mainly due to lack of proper food and treatment. “He was ill and we didn’t have money even to take him to hospital or to any doctor because we didn’t have the money to pay rickshaw puller for carrying him,” they said. They further disclosed that they went to a medical shop some two days back at Bari Khanjarpur areas but due to penury, they returned back without any medicine. “Actually we were waiting for the money as Rani didi told us that she could manage her dues. We were planning to take Sajan to a doctor after the money will be in out hand but he left us before that, the duo broke into tears. However none of them was able to say about the disease due to which Sajan died.

Rani, a  maha dalit destitute women whose husband left her long ago,   became the first victim of Srijan scam’s aftermath. Like other government departments, the office of the Zila Parisad was also under the influence of the scam that rocked Bihar recently. Along with Rani there are all together 17 employees in the office who didn’t get their salary for the last five months.

Some of the staffs said that after the transfer of the than DDC, Amit Kumar in September last, Zila Parisad was handed over to such officials how didn’t have financial power resulting the delay of their salary problems. Devanti Devi another peon in the office was weeping while narrating her plight. “The school management has given ultimatum to my grand- daughter as I yet not give the school fee for her. She has been staying with me,” said the middle aged widow who also earlier managed job on compensatory ground after death of her husband.

Over Rs 78 crore of Zila Parisad was reportedly illegally withdrawn in Srijan scam and Najir of the office, Rakesh Kumar is presently locked inside the jail for his involvement in the sacm.

Adesh Titaramare , the DM Bhagalpur who has started avoiding media, was not available. Anand Sharma, DDC, was also not available. But a source in his office said that since the office of the Zila Parisad is under CBI’s investigation which also seized all the bank accounts of the office, the staffs are not paid. While the concerned staffs at the office alleged that the salaries of the staffs of other departments like DRDA, land acquisition, district collectorate etc were already released. “More than crores of rupee were illegally withdrawn from the departments in the scam but the employees were paid. While our salary was stopped, what is our fault?,” innocently asked some of the staffs of the office today.

, Sanjay Kumar however said that after expose of Srijan scam and subsequently illegal withdrawn of money from the office of Zila Parisad, CBI had taken away all the accounts and documents like cash books from the office. “ Actually earlier FIR which registered by the SIT, was done on the salary account of this office with bank of Boroda through which the illegal withdrawn was done in the Srijan scam. CBI also seized the cash books. Now two important things raise, how to operate salary account and salary cash book in the office?” he pointed out.

He further said special measures have been initiated for the payment of the staffs of the office from internal resources of the office. “Concerned higher officer like DDC must have taken the initiative and might have sought direction for the payment of the staffs from finance department. Hope within a week we finally would solve the salary problems of the staffs of the office,” he assured today.

However such assurance hardly any impact on Rani. “I lost my brother, who is responsible for his death?” her innocent question is however exposed the intensity of Srijan aftermath.