Recruitment scam: 16 suspended, 22 chargesheeted by Pune Zilla Parishad

PUNE Pune Zilla Parishad, on Monday, announced that 16 officials who had been involved in the recruitment scam spanning 20 gram panchayats were suspended from services with immediate effect.

The ZP has also chargesheeted 22 officials involved in this matter and has issued notices to 212 former Panchayat Raj elected members from the concerned villages.

This action by the ZP was prompted by the submission of the report by the enquiry committee appointed to investigate allegations of improper recruitment of staff members to 20 gram panchayats, just prior to the villages being included in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits.

“The report with the list of employees has been submitted to Pune Municipal Corporation for further action. A copy of the report has also been submitted to the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj department of the Government of Maharashtra. Administrative action has been carried out in the Pune Zilha Parishad and departmental enquiry hearings would be held at the Divisional Commissioner’s office, as per the law,” said Ayush Prasad, chief executive officer, Pune Zilla Parishad.

In December 2020, the state government issued a draft notification for the merger of 23 villages into PMC limits, after which major recruitments were carried out in the gram panchayats of most of the 20 villages.

According to officials, 658 persons were recruited just before these gram panchayats became part of Pune PMC. Also, 44 persons were found to have been recruited by the Manjri Gram Panchayat in an earlier inquiry by the Block Development Officer of Haveli. Gradually the reports of improper recruitments came into the public sphere and the ZP also received few complaints. On June 30, the state government officially merged 23 villages in the PMC, making it the biggest municipal corporation in Maharashtra, with an area of 516 sqkm.

An enquiry committee, headed by Dattatraya Munde, was then appointed by the ZP to investigate allegations of improper recruitment of staff members to gram panchayats. The committee started working in July 2020 collecting records from every gram panchayat. The final report was submitted to the ZP on December 17.

ZP officials said that of the 23 villages merged with the PMC, no irregularities were found in Pisoli, Shewalewadi and Mahalunge. “A total of 69 employees from these 20 gram panchayats were on their approved Akruti Bandh, 247 persons were recruited earlier and have been working since a long time. But, 658 persons were recruited just before the merger. I would like to appreciate the enquiry committee for showing courage in the face of tremendous pressure and different forms of intimidation. They worked diligently and very hard to study the documents of 60,000 pages,” said Ayush Prasad.

According to a member from this enquiry committee, every gram panchayat in question had to be investigated in a different way. Gram sevaks and elected representatives had adopted different methods to make the payments of these new improperly recruited staffers.

“In seven gram panchayats, we found that gram sevaks had recruited their own sons. The family members of the elected representatives had also found place in the recruitment list. Different methods were adopted to hide the salary payment records of these staffers. We had to check every document. It was all done so that eventually these staffers would be employees of the Pune Municipal Corporation,” said a committee member, on the condition of anonymity.

Though the enquiry report has been submitted and action has been initiated against those who are guilty, the enquiry committee hasn’t been able to verify allegations that the recruitments were done in exchange for money. The committee in its report has asked the administration to carry out this probe by a suitable investigation agency and has mentioned that the allegations could not be verified because this matter was not in its jurisdiction.

Pune ZP has sent this report to PMC and now that these villages have been merged with the civic body it would take a decision on the future of the improperly recruited staffers in the Gram Panchayats.

“We haven’t received the report yet. We will decide once we get it with proper details and lists,” said Rajendra Muthe, deputy commissioner PMC

.23 villages merged with PMC

Mhalunge, Sus, Bavdhan Budruk, Kirkatwadi, Pisoli, Kondhwe-Dhawade, New Kopre, Nanded, Khadakwasla, Manjari Budruk, Narhe, Mantarwadi, Holkarwadi, Autade-Handewadi, Wadachiwadi, Shewalewadi, Nandoshi , Mangdewadi , Bhilarewadi, Gujar Nimbalkarwadi, Jambhulwadi, Kolewadi and Wagholi.

• Recruitment scam related action not initiated in Shewalewadi, Mhalunge, Pisoli

11 villages merged with PMC in 2017

Lohegaon, Mundhwa, Hadapsar, Uttamnagar, Shivane, Ambegaon Khurd, Undri, Dhayari, Ambegaon Budhruk, Phursungi and Urli Devachi.