CITCO chief general manager among 7 put on notice for holding up salaries
Told to reply why the salaries of two employees, who were indicted in the ₹35-lakh bank guarantee case, have not been released for over six months
The managing director of Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation (CITCO), Hari Kallikkat, has issued a show-cause notice to seven officers of CITCO, including chief general manager Amit Kumar, over the unnecessary delay in releasing the salaries of two employees for more than six months.
Both employees, Balwinder Kaur, bill clerk, and Rikhi Ram, clerk, were indicted in the ₹35-lakh bank guarantee case, which came to light in January 2023.
The other officers put on notice include Sandeep Sethi, assistant controller (Finance and Accounts); Praveen Nanda, manager (Accounts); GD Sharma, former manager (Personnel and Administration); Anju Anand, manager (Personnel and Administration); Amrit Kaur, senior accountant deployed as manager; and Harminder Singh, senior assistant-cum-dealing hand. All seven have been directed to file their replies within three days.
According to the show-cause notice, the managing director stated that all of them were aware that salary was a basic requirement for any official working in any organisation or department.
It was observed that the office failed to provide the salaries of Balwinder Kaur and Rikhi Ram for more than six months. Through the show-cause notice, the officers have been directed to explain their position as to why the salaries of the two employees, who were punished in the ₹35-lakh bank guarantee case, have not been finalised or fixed after the approval of the competent authority.
The notice further stated that Balwinder had requested the release of her salary in February 2024, but the office failed to submit the file to the managing director, who is the competent authority to decide on this matter. The delay in handling such a sensitive matter for more than six months is a serious lapse on the part of multiple authorities, which should be viewed very seriously, it added.
‘Fundamental lapse in natural justice’
The notice emphasised that the act constituted a fundamental lapse in natural justice, which will be taken seriously. Thus, the officers are ordered to respond within three working days, explaining why further disciplinary action should not be initiated under the relevant act and rules.
Both employees had written several letters to the authorities concerned, requesting the release of their salaries, but the senior officers did not address their requests.
Despite repeated attempts, chief general manager Amit Kumar could not be contacted for comments.
The bank guarantee case had come to light in January 2023 when CITCO had attempted to forfeit the security of a manpower firm through its bank guarantee and discovered that the amount had already been withdrawn.
It was also found that CITCO did not possess the original bank guarantee, only a coloured photocopy.
An inquiry conducted by retired additional district and sessions judge BR Bansal had implicated CITCO’s commercial manager Anil Sharma, clerk Balwinder Kaur and junior assistant Rikhi Ram. The report was submitted to CITCO’s managing director Purva Garg to decide on the action to be taken against the three employees.
Balwinder, in her statement to the inquiry officer, had claimed that Anil and Rikhi came to the office and demanded the bank guarantee, stating it was required for a court case. She further stated that the duo snatched the papers from her hand and later replaced them with a fake bank guarantee.
CITCO had also conducted an internal probe into the bank guarantee case, initially suspending the three officials. However, they were reinstated after two months and an inquiry was ordered against them. An FIR was also registered against Anil.