SAMBALPUR: Primary teachers of the district on Tuesday approached Sambalpur collector Ananya Das seeking action against the block education officer of Dhankauda for allegedly harassing them. Members of the primary teachers’ association submitted a memorandum to the collector accusing Dhankauda BEO Surendra Sahu of deliberately causing inconvenience to them and misbehaving with lady teachers.
“The BEO is paying no heed to the problems of teachers. Instead of addressing our grievances, he is misbehaving with the teachers. The BEO often harasses us for his vested interest and even abuses lady teachers,” they alleged.
The teachers of Dhankauda further claimed that Sahu’s negligence was affecting timely disbursal of their salary every month. He is not sanctioning the annual increment and leaves taken for emergencies. “In March 2021, Sahu was caught accepting bribe by the Vigilance when he was the BEO of Hemgir in Sundargarh district. In Dhankauda too, he is indulging in corrupt practices. The BEO demands money from the cluster resource centre coordinators (CRCCs) to allot them schools,” they alleged.
Advisor of the association Jayanti Panda said a teacher, identified as Bibhisan Bag, died in 2021 but pension and other death benefits are yet to be provided to his family. When Bag’s widow visited the BEO office, she was asked to pay a bribe of Rs 70,000.
Stating that Sahu’s attitude was affecting the work culture of teachers in Dhankauda, the memorandum demanded immediate transfer of the BEO. The collector received the memorandum and assured the teachers of looking into the matter. On the other hand, the BEO refuted the allegations. Sahu said he was currently out of town and would give a detailed clarification after joining office.