Imphal, January 16: The Vigilance Dept has recommended to the Government to impose a major penalty on senior IAS officer L Lakher for possessing assets disproportionate to his known source of income (after an inquiry) while another IAS officer, Taxation Commissioner LP Golmei faces a departmental inquiry on the charge that he was involved in regularising the post of 28 employees.

Lakher is serving as the Secretary in the Fishery Department.

Disclosing this to The Sangai Express a highly reliable source said that the State Government had directed the Vigilance Department to probe the assets of three IAS officers in 2005.With the Vigilance finalising the investigation of the assets of Lakher, the recommendations to penalise him was submitted, said the source and added that a regular FIR may soon be filed against thesaid IAS officer.

Investigation into the assets of the other two IAS officers are also underway, said the source.

The Vigilance Department, after minutely studying the income and assets of L Lakher from 1989 to 2004 came to the conclusion that Rs 17.21 lakhs in his name is disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Though the senior IAS officer submitted numerous documents pertaining to his assets, the same were not entertained by the Vigilance on many grounds, informed the source.

As in 2004, the monthly salary of Lakher was Rs 28,019, said the source and added that during the course of the investigation it came to light that he possessed a two storeyed building at Checkon (CS Dag number 5030/5003) and another building at Lamphel (CS Dag number 5743/5934).Moreover the IAS officer was found to own two vehicles.

After the Vigilance Department came to the conclusion that Lakher possessed assets disproportionate to his income, recommendations were submitted to the State Government to initiate a Departmental Inquiry under the All India Guidance (Conduct Rule 1968) and accordingly impose a major penalty, said the source further.

A regular FIR under the Prevention of Corruption will be also be registered against the IAS officer, disclosed the source and added that investigation into the assets of the other two IAS officers is proceeding.

On the other the heat is on another senior IAS officer for regularising 28 employees in the Manipur Remote Sensing Application Centre even as the ban on fresh appointment in Government Departments was in force.

The source said that the following the detection of the case, the Government has ordered a departmental inquiry against the Commissioner of Taxation L Golmei in connection with the case.

The Govt's decision came following the recommendations submitted by the Vigilance Department.

In all 28 employees, including one Senior Assistant and three Junior Assistants were found regularised at the Remote Sensing Centre last year, said the source.

The Vigilance was asked to probe the case and accordingly it recommended that departmental inquiry be initiated against the said IAS officer.

Recommendation by the Vigilance to cancel the regularisation order has also been submitted to the Government, said the source and added that the regularisation order was effected despite the order that the Governing Body Council of the Centre cannot be regularised.

Other officials named in the case include the Director of the Sensing Centre, N Shamungou, Under secretary Sheikholal Lhungum and Special Secretary of Forest and Environment Haopu Kipgen.

After a thorough investigation, the Vigilance Dept was able to establish prima facie evidences and accordingly recommended that the Government initiate a departmental inquiry.

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