Days before retirement, tainted NMC education officer demoted

NAGPUR: Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) education officer Farooq Ahmed, facing corruption charges in

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

, has been demoted as

assistant teacher.

Farooq is retiring this month.

Along with Ahmed, municipal commissioner

Ashwin Mudgal

also demoted special desk officer (backward class cell) of the NMC’s general administration department F S Uikey to the post of superintendent.

Confirming this, a senior officer from NMC’s general administration department told TOI that a departmental inquiry was initiated against Farooq (when he was a school principal) for his alleged involvement in tampering with a cheque issued under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan work in NMC-run MAK Azad School in Ashi Nagar zone some couple of years ago. After the incident came to fore, Farooq was divested of financial powers and shifted to NMC’s Urdu medium school in Tajbagh.

Last year, when Ashok Talatule retired from education officer’s post, Farooq was given additional charge of education officer. After the probe committee found evidence against Farooq, the civic chief demoted him from the post of principal and was given the charge of assistant teacher.

Similarly, Uike was involved in a revenue scam unearthed at Dhantoli zone when he was market superintendent. Then civic chief Shyam Wardhane had ordered a departmental inquiry for his alleged involvement for not ensuring that the rents collected from NMC’s shops not deposited with the civic body’s account.