PCB demotes health officer for corruption

pune: in a decision likely to spend shivers down the spines of officers of doubtful integrity, the general body meeting of the pune cantonment board (pcb) on thursday demoted health superintendent v.s. kulkarni with immediate effect for his complicity in clearing trade licences in a deceitful manner. the unprecedented action was approved against the erring official by board president brig ashok anand.j.s. mahi, cantonment executive officer (ceo), pcb, levelled serious allegations of 'malafide intention' and 'negligence in duty' against mr kulkarni at the board meeting. in his report mr mahi said that irregularities were committed by mr kulkarni in the renewal of a trade licence to several business establishments. the ceo charged that mr kulkarni had tried to push through some old pending cases under the renewal category, although these parties had been denied licence for the past several years. significantly, the ceo's report also indicts the health superintendent for approving new licences as renewal cases in a fraudulent manner. besides charges of corruption, mr mahi in his report to the board mentions that mr kulkarni remained absent from office without giving any reason or intimating his seniors. the ceo said that the officer had failed in discharging his duties of maintaining clean sanitary conditions in the cantonment area. "once a large group of residents of the cantonment had barged into mr kulkarni's office and created a furore over a heap of garbage lying unattended in the area," mr mahi told the board. the elected members of the board agreed that mr kulkarni should be punished for dereliction of duty and for showing undue favours. mr mahi recommended that mr kulkarni be removed from service, but brig. anand disapproved of such a harsh measure and ruled the mr kulkarni should be brought down in terms of grade and salary scales forthwith. "the demoted official's performance will be reviewed for a year," he added.