SCZCC staffer says sign on incriminatory letter is not his

NAGPUR: The South Central Zone Cultural Centre is now caught up in a new controversy. A letter alleging deputy director Sudharshan Patil wrongly claiming children’s education allowance and another in which former director Piyush Kumar had recommended the former’s removal from the centre were delivered to TOI office. The covering letter, addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had the signature of programme manager Gopal Betawar.
“The signatures are not mine,” Betawar told TOI on Friday.
A few months earlier, there were charges against Kumar for having walked off with some artefacts, a fact he too had denied. Patil took charge from Piyush Kumar on February 2.
Foxed by these developments Patil said, “I worked with Piyush Kumar for two years and our relationship was amicable. On his last day in office he called me at 7.45pm and handed me a letter and said that I had been relieved of my charge as deputy director. I was shocked and could not understand why he did so as I had attended his farewell party at the centre a day before where he had been very cordial.”
Patil admits that Kumar had taken up the issue of children education allowance with him and he had offered an explanation to him. “He was trying to weave in my marital issues into it and I had told him that there was nothing wrong in my making the claim for my children as I was entitled for it,” he says.
The deputy director doesn’t feel that Betawar is at any fault. “I have been working with him for two years. He will say things on my face and not to anything behind my back,” said Patil.
Saying that there was no inquiry or complaint against Patil, Sajith EN, the officiating director of SCZCC said, “I can’t take cognisance of any anonymous complaint. There are as many as three such complaints floating around. Patil took over from Kumar as somebody of gazette rank only can take charge.”
Sajith also questioned the propriety of a director dismissing his staff on his last day in office. “A hierarchy has to be maintained in every organization as functioning would become impossible in its absence,” he said explaining why Patil has continued at the centre
After the complaints of theft recently, Sajith said that now 16 CCTV cameras have been installed on the premises.
Deshpande Sangeet Mahotsav from July 30 to Aug 1
SCZCC’s 25-year old tradition of holding Vasantrao Deshapnde Sangeet Mahotsav to coincide it with the maestro’s death anniversary is on track. A meeting to finalize the schedule was held on Friday and it was decided to hold the festival from July 30 to Aug 1. “Though we have the required funds to hold the music festival, we will not feature many senior artists. The names of the artists and the schedule will be announced after the approval of the programme committee,” said officiating director Sajith EN.
Saying that the contest for the youth, which the centre started last year, will not be held this year, Sajith said, “But we will provide a stage to the winners of last year. ”