Alleges that health minister is shielding East Singhbhum civil surgeon despite admitting his guilt
Jamshedpur, Nov 29: Jamshedpur East MLA Saryu Roy has requested Jharkhand assembly speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato to start assembly’s contempt proceedings against state health minister Banna Gupta.
In the memorandum sent to the Speaker, Saryu Roy has alleged that in the written reply to his question in the last monsoon session of the House, the health minister informed the House that the civil surgeon in-charge of East Singhbhum has been found guilty in the departmental inquiry and his dismissal from service is under process.. But he is being protected from the level of the minister and obstacles are being put in the way of his dismissal.
Despite clear assurances in the Vidhan Sabha, the minister did not send his dismissal proposal to the cabinet in the form of a resolution, but normally sent the file to the Chief Minister, while the Chief Minister does not have the power to sack a gazetted officer. This power rests with the cabinet.
The MLA has alleged that the file sent by the minister to the Chief Minister went to the Chief Secretary under the process, he raised this question and sought the views of the Personnel Department. The file remained buried in the personnel department for a month. Later, the Personnel Department decided that the power of dismissal of the convicted officer rests with the Council of Ministers and the file was sent to the Health Department for sending the resolution of dismissal.
Instead of sending the file to the Council of Ministers with the proposal of dismissal, the Health Department again sought clarification from the convicted officer and asked him to reply by October 30. When the Assembly Secretariat asked the Health Department for a reply in this regard, the Health Department sent a written reply to the Assembly Secretariat on November 2, 2021, that the convicted officer had not sent a reply. But kept silent on whether the proposal for dismissal has been sent before the Council of Ministers or not?
Saryu Roy has said that the health department is hiding facts from the Assembly. Legal action is being stopped to punish the concerned file from the ministerial level. The file is still in the health department. This is contempt of assembly.
In the memorandum, Saryu Roy has alleged that while in government service, this officer had contested the assembly elections from Jhanjharpur in Bihar in 2005 from the Samajwadi Party. In the same year (2005), the current Minister of Health Department also contested from Jamshedpur from Samajwadi Party. Both could not win the election. This could be a reason for the minister to give protection to the guilty officer.
Roy alleged that while filling the nomination for the election, this officer had hidden the fact that he was in government service. This in itself is a crime. Later he transferred his service from Bihar to Jharkhand. On receiving the complaint, in 2014, the Jharkhand government wrote a letter to the district magistrate of Madhubani district of Bihar to confirm the allegation. Then instead of taking quick decisions, departmental action started. The investigating officer proved the guilt in 2019 after investigation and ordered that he should be punished with dismissal from service.
When the current government was formed in 2019, the Health Minister encouraged them instead of punishing them. He was given additional charge of Civil Surgeon of East Singhbhum district. When this question arose in the assembly, despite accepting the punishment of forced dismissal, the minister is engaged in giving protection to them. The file was kept suppressed even in the previous government. The health minister of the present government is also doing the same thing, which is contempt of legislative assembly.
The winter session of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly is going to be convened from December 16. This and other such subjects can compel the government to stand in the dock.