Pondy: Tainted official gets Spl Secy post

PUDUCHERRY: Senior Puducherry Civil Service officer, G Ragesh Chandra, who is being investigated by the CBI for alleged irregularities in the construction of 1,440 houses under the Tsunami Rehabilitation Project, for which he was Project Director of Project Implementation Agency (PIA) in 2008, has been posted as Special Secretary to Co-operation, Civil Supplies and Art and Culture departments. Former collector Ragesh Chandra, who was on compulsory wait, would also hold additional charge as Managing Director, PIPDIC.The government had relieved Ragesh Chandra of all responsibilities following the allegations and the CBI probe into it. He was booked in August by the CBI in the case, but he had secured an anticipatory bail from a local court here on August 19.As per the FIR filed by the CBI against  Chandra, he had rejected an offer from NGOs and voluntary organisations to rebuild free houses for the tsunami-affected, and instead opted for a loan from the World Bank through the government of Puducherry.The CBI had booked Chandra on charges of criminal conspiracy to cheat the government, along with Mohan, Executive Engineer, PWD attached to PIA, Hyderabad-based IVRCL, represented by its chairman and MD E Sudhir Reddy to whom the contract for the construction of the houses was awarded.It may be noted that Dr S B Deepak Kumar, IAS, was appointed as Collector of Puducherry on August 23 after the All India Namathu Rajyam Congress government relieved Ragesh of his  responsibilities.Meanwhile, Senior Pondicherry Civil Service officer, S Sundaravadivelu, has been appointed as director of local administration. He would hold the additional charge of Director of Science, Technology and Environment.E Vallavan will be the new Director of School Education, while L Kumar, who is Joint Secretary (Home), would hold the additional charge of Director of Information and Technology and Commissioner of Oulgaret Municipality. Vallavan was the MD of PIPDIC.Krishna Kumar Singh, who was on compulsory wait, will be the Director of Industries with additional charge as General Manager, District Industrial Centre (DIC).S D Sundaresan has been posted as MD  of Puducherry Co-operative Sugar Mills with the additional charge of Joint MD, Pondicherry Textile Corporation Ltd, a post which he is holding now.

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