VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Dec. 10: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday asked the Jharkhand government to lodge an FIR against jailed IAS officer Pooja Singhal for amassing assets disproportionate to known sources of her income. The ED said this in a report submitted to the state government regarding the attachment of her properties worth Rs. 82.77 crore in the MNREGA scam.
The ED has told the government that it should ask Pooja Singhal to explain sources of her assets. It will be proper for the state government to lodge an FIR against her under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the ED has said.
The ED arrested the then Mining Secretary Pooja Singhal in May for committing a scam worth Rs. Rs.18.06 crore in the execution of MNREGA scheme in Khunti district. She was posted as DC during 16th February 2009 to 19th July 2010 and she was the principal authority for sanctioning funds for different development projects.
“As per the rule a report regarding attached assets of the IAS officer has been sent to the government. The matter is related to the MNREGA scam. Since it is a grave case of corruption the agency has asked the state government to lodge an FIR against her,” well placed sources said.
In the recent time this is the second such report that the ED has submitted to the state government regarding involvement of Pooja Singhal in a scam. Earlier, the ED had submitted a report related to her involvement in the illegal mining scam worth Rs. 1000 crore. In this case also, the ED asked the state government to prosecute her as well as some other district mining officers. There are hints that if the state government delays or denies in lodging FIR against the IAS the agency would approach the High Court for a suitable direction.
The ED provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs. 82.77 crore belonging to Pooja Singhal. This includes one Super Speciality Hospital namely ‘Pulse Super Speciality Hospital’, one diagnostics centre namely ‘Pulse Diagnostic and Imagining Centre’ and two land parcels situated in Ranchi.
