JAGATSINGHPUR: A former headmaster of Balrampur Primary School in Jaonkoti panchayat of Jagatsinghpur block and the ex-president of the school management committee have been sentenced to four years of imprisonment by Vigilance court allegedly due to the negligence of Sarva Sikhsa Abhiyan (SSA) authorities.
Sources said the District Project Coordinator (DPC) of SSA had given work order of Rs 5.81 lakh in favour of the then headmaster of Balrampur Primary School Abhaya Kumar Swain and president of school management committee Laxman Swain for construction of the school building in 2005. As the school did not have its own land, Laxman and other villagers had donated two decimals for construction of the building.
Abhaya had just begun construction of the new building when he was transferred as the headmaster of another school. This delayed the construction work of Balrampur Primary School building following which the SSA DPC lodged a complaint with the Vigilance against the headmaster and Laxman for misappropriation of SSA money. Acting on the complaint, Vigilance sleuths raided the school and upon finding no sign of the new building, arrested Abhaya and forwarded him to court in 2009. On being released from jail in the same year, Abhaya completed the construction work of the new building. However, SSA authorities did not apprise the Vigilance about the construction of the new building of Balrampur Primary School. Interestingly, polling in general and panchayat elections were held in the new building of the school.
The failure of SSA authorities in passing on the information about the new building to the Vigilance has led to the conviction of Abhaya and Laxman last week, alleged residents of Jaonkoti panchayat. Meanwhile, villagers, led by Jaonkoti Sarpanch Manas Ranjan Sethy, have sought the intervention of the Collector, the DPC of SSA the School and Mass Education Department to look into the matter.