Senior PWD engineer dismissed for fund fraud

Thiruvananthapuram: State govt has dismissed a senior PWD engineer after finding that crores of public funds were withdrawn without traceable records or clear purpose.Former Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) executive engineer Jija Bai P T has been removed from service through an order issued on March 24, which states that she "misused official position" and carried out unauthorised withdrawals amounting to Rs 4,42,15,679.Findings are based on a vigilance probe that uncovered a pattern of large cash withdrawals, incomplete records and unexplained gaps in accounts. A central concern flagged in the order is use of cash cheques issued in the name of a temporary employee. Substantial amounts were withdrawn through this route, but "the utilisation of the withdrawn amounts could not be established," with no supporting documents or utilisation certificates produced.Probe also found "serious discrepancies between the cash book and bank statements," with differences running into crores. Financial records, including cash books and cheque registers, were either not properly maintained or not updated.Compounding this, the order notes that Bai failed to hand over critical financial documents during charge transfer. "Cheque books, cheque memo registers and related records were not handed over" to the succeeding officer, making it difficult to track transactions.Govt further observed that funds were withdrawn "without clear sanction orders or formal approvals," pointing to violations in how public money was handled.The impact extended to ongoing works. Funds meant for infrastructure activities such as utility shifting and land acquisition were withdrawn but not remitted to agencies like KSEB and KWA, affecting project execution.An inquiry into transactions between 2021 and Jan 2024 found that Rs 4,85,52,228 was withdrawn through cheques issued in the name of the temporary staffer alone, and significantly, "these amounts were not recorded in the cash book." Investigators said the end use of these funds could not be traced.Rejecting her explanation, govt said the defence, citing workload and staff shortage, did not address core issues. The order observes that no evidence was produced to justify the withdrawals and that the response was largely "an attempt to deny the transactions."The case also takes into account her past record. The order states that Bai earlier faced disciplinary action in cases involving financial irregularities, including suspension and penalties.Despite being issued a show-cause notice and given two opportunities for personal hearing, she did not appear. Notices were also published publicly, but no reply was received. Govt concluded that she had "no explanation to offer." Holding that the charges were "proved beyond doubt," the order states that her actions caused "huge financial loss to the govt and erosion of public trust."Bai has been dismissed from service with effect from Feb 17, 2024, the date of her suspension.