BENGALURU: Senior IAS officer Amita Prasad, who is facing charges of financial irregularities to the tune of over `100 crore when she was heading the Administrative Training Institute (ATI) in Mysuru, has sought two months’ time to reply to the state government.
According to sources in the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), the government had issued a notice to Prasad seeking clarification on the corruption charges levelled by the present ATI Director V Rashmi.
“After receiving a report on the alleged irregularities sent by the present ATI director, we have asked for a reply from Prasad,” a senior official in the DPAR told Express.
It may be recalled that Rashmi had sent a detailed report to Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee on the alleged financial irregularities committed by her predecessor Amita Prasad and had recommended a Lokayukta or a CBI probe.
Rashmi had also named five other officials in her report to the government last October.
Amita Prasad is presently on Central service and has been posted as joint secretary to the Ministry of Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation.
After receiving the report from Rashmi, the chief secretary had ordered a departmental inquiry by senior IAS officer Vijaya Bhaskar, who is yet to submit his findings.
Rashmi, in her report submitted to the Chief Secretary, had said Prasad, during her stint at the ATI, had awarded civil works to the extent of over `60 crore to private agencies in violation of norms.
The issue took an ugly turn when Rashmi was physically assaulted by some miscreants on the ATI premises, and one of the staff members committed suicide.
Prasad has denied the charges, and said Rashmi was trying to malign her out of jealousy.