RAIPUR: The Tribal Welfare Department has issued a show-cause notice to a senior officer for allegedly allotting the rooms of an entire floor of the Chhattisgarh tribal youth hostel in Delhi to his family and acquaintances.
The issue came to light after the hostellers lodged a complaint with chief minister Raman Singh that administrative officer Dinesh Jha has allegedly captured an entire floor of the building where he lives with his relatives.
The chief minister took cognisance of the complaint letter following which J R Churendra, director of the tribal welfare department, served a show-cause notice to the officer, seeking clarification.
The notice addressed to Jha said, “You have occupied 15 rooms of a floor of the tribal youth hostel for your relatives and also using every facility intended for the students. The complaint further stated that you have concealed this and misled the inspection team of officials whenever they had visited the youth centre.”
Besides, the letter also pointed out that Jha’s acts are creating problems for the youth living in the hostel and that he accessed the amenities including the stationeries and toiletries for personal use. Jha, however, called the allegations “baseless” and cited the official approval on using a couple of rooms for his accommodation.
Senior officials of the tribal department, nevertheless, expressed surprise over the reported misuse of authority by Jha. “An explanation has been sought and action would accordingly be taken after he responds,” a government spokesperson told the New Indian Express.
The tribal youth hostel built by the Chhattisgarh government in 2012 at Dwarka in Delhi provides affordable lodging and coaching for poor students from the areas affected by Left-Wing Extremism, who aspire to appear for the prestigious civil service examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission.