THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: PSC chairman K S Radhakrishnan on Wednesday claimed that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had not ordered any inquiry into the alleged misappropriation of funds in the PSC.
He told reporters that it was baseless to say that the Chief Minister had made any such demands.
He said it was the Finance Department which made such a demand and entrusted the FIW to conduct the probe. He also claimed that there had not been any misappropriation of funds.
The PSC delegation met the Chief Minister on Wednesday morning and held talks about the crisis.
Chandy offered to take all steps to solve the crisis. However, a PSC sub-committee will hold talks with the Chief Minister again.
However, during the Cabinet briefing Chief Minister rejected the Chairman’s claim. He said that there had been certain anomalies though there was no financial fraud found in the PSC.
He stressed the need for more financial responsibility on the part of the PSC to avoid further crisis.
He said the Finance Department wanted the government to order a Vigilance probe. But it was he who asked to limit the probe by FIW.
NO GRAFT, BUT FUNDS DIVERTED: cm
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said here on Wednesday that the problems at the Public Service Commission were related to procedural lapses. “I won’t say that there was fiscal indiscipline, but the problems have arisen due to procedural lapses,” Chandy said after the Cabinet meeting. “No one has said that corruption was involved, but funds were diverted. Procedures were not followed. If procedures are followed, the problems would end,” he said. Chandy said he had been responsible for entrusting the Audit Department to look into the issue. It was not meant as an inquiry, he said. The state government was happy with the way the PSC has been functioning and Finance Minister K M Mani has agreed to discuss and settle the present issues. PSC chairman K Radhakrishnan and members had met Chandy on Wednesday.