Sawantwadi civic body FIR over missing stock register faces questions
Shiv Sena corporators demand a special probe after an FIR in a missing register case at Sawantwadi municipal council raised more questions than answers
A stock register has gone missing from the water supply department of Sawantwadi Municipal Council and is believed to have been disposed of. Police have registered a case against Jodari Bharat Lakhe in connection with the matter. But the entire action is now itself under question.
Shiv Sena corporators advocate Sayali Dubhashi and Sharvari Dhargalkar have demanded a high-level inquiry into the case. The two corporators allege that this is a strange case of the very people responsible for the theft filing the complaint, and suspect that bigger names may be hidden behind it. They have made clear that they want the entire matter investigated through the Sindhudurg district collector, and will demand that a special investigation team, or SIT, be formed for this purpose.
The corporators say that under municipal rules, while the job of maintaining the stock register may lie with the jodari, the primary responsibility for keeping the register safe rests with the head of the concerned department. Because of this, they say, the complaint about the missing register should have been filed by the head of the water supply department himself.
The biggest question has been raised over the role of Sanjay Poipkar, the officer who filed the complaint. It is alleged that Poipkar admitted at a committee meeting that he had taken one and a half lakh rupees from a supplier for an audit. According to the corporators, the supplier concerned has also admitted to paying the money. The two corporators have questioned how a person who himself faces corruption allegations could file a police complaint against the accused.
Dubhashi and Dhargalkar say the matter should not be closed merely by taking action against Lakhe. They say the role of the chief officer and other senior officials must also be investigated, and have demanded a probe into who is actually responsible for the register going missing and who else may be involved.
The episode has raised questions over the functioning of Sawantwadi municipal council. The corporators have said a fair investigation into the matter is essential. They are expected to demand that the Sindhudurg district collector immediately set up a special investigation team to thoroughly probe the chief officer, complainant Sanjay Poipkar, and others directly or indirectly linked to the case.
