KAILASAHAR, June 30 (TIWN) : TRIPURAINFOWAY news highlighting the scam in Unakoti Dairy Project under ARDD,Unakoti amounting to Rs 70lakh has rocked the entire Animal Resource Development Department and Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and Chief Secretary S K Panda are closely looking into the matter putting pressure on Principal Secretary Dr V K Bahuguna to make an impartial investigation on the entire episode, said a top level ARDD official. The official also said that the ARDD Director is now doubtful of his contract being extended any further.

      It is learnt that ARDD Director Dr Dharmeswar Das was appointed to this post for a period of one year on contractual basis after the approval of the State Cabinet Ministry. On 24/07/2013 Dr Dharmeswar Das got this contract with all facilities and his one year periods ends on 23rd July 2014. Before that Das was appointed as an Assistant Professor in Tripura Veterinay College( in Breeding & Genetics Department). Interestingly Dr Dharmeswar Das was terminated from his post of Dean of Welfare, Assam Veterinary College as he is alleged to have sold the land of Assam Veterinary College illegally without taking the consent of the Assam Govt. According to TIWN sources a top level official in ARDD, Agartala came to know about his termination by making an application to Assam Govt under RTI Act. The source adds that the entire RTI doccuments are now lying in the office of the ARDD,Agartala but intentionally the reports are not brought in public as Dr Dharmeswar Das is very close to the present and former General Secretary of All Tripura Veterinary Doctors Association respectively Dr Sanjib Das and DrDipangshu Choudhury. Dr Dipangshu Choudhury is learnt to be the self declared  Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of ARDD as no step in the department is taken without having  any consultation with Dr Dipanshu Choudhury. And without the guidance of him ARDD Minister is totally blind, said another top level official in ARDD, Agartala. And due to his intimacy with the minister Dr Dipangshu Choudhury plays a crucial role in all high level recruitments in ARDD.

     Dr Dharmeswar Das too was appointed as the Director due to the interference of Dipangshu and Co. Soon after his appointment as Director Dharmeswar Das influenced the Chief Minister Manik Sarkar with false promises that with in a period of one year he will make the state self sufficient in milk production. A TIWN sources add that Director prepared a false report on milk production in Tripura stating that at present Per Capita Milk Consumption in Tripura is 140ml while the actual producttion still lying below 100ml. Director Dharmeswar Das influenced the CM Manik Sarkar ( with the Planning Ministry under his helm) so that funds are released from state govt for the dream(?) Dairy Project. But during his tenure of one year Dr Dharmeswar Das is a complete failure in this project; rather the project has now become a Project of Scam(Kaamdhenu as is termed by ARDD officials). Dharmeswar it still trying get a nenewal of his ongoing contract. It is learnt that on Tuesday(1st July) a meeting of the State Cabinet Ministers will be held and in this meeting ARDD will ask for approval of the Cabinet for another one year extended term of contract for Dr Dharmeswar Das as Director of ARDD. If he gets such extension it will be the greatest mockery of transparency of state govt and that too after the publication of the scam of Unakoti Dairy Project( mainly influenced by Dr Dharmeswar Das) in print and electronic media.

      Meanwhile after the publication of the current scam Chief Minister and Chief Secretary had meetings with the Principal Secretary Dr V K Bahuguna and asked him to make a thorough investigation on this scam. But as the Director himself being accused as the mastermind behind the entire scam, it is unlikely that truth will be revealed ( Director himself rushed to Kailasahar to investigate on the scam. Though it is not confirmed what the Director has stated in his recent report). Meanwhile, on 16th June ARDD constituted a Special Task Force( a team of experts) to supervise the Dairy Project, Unakoti District led by Dr Shyamal Dasgupta, Assistant Director, ARDD, Agartala. But denying the departmental decision Director Dharmeswar Das has practically made the Special Task Force inactive and instead he requested Dr Krishna Nath Choudhury, the Retired Deputy Director, ARDD,Dharmangar( who is the implementing officer of Dairy Project, North Tripura) to look into the ongoing project in Unakoti District. It is authenticated by TIWN sources that Director Dharmeswar Das smelt that Dr Shyamal Dasgupta might be bringing the information of the scam on this project to the notice of the Principal Secretary Dr V K Bahuguna.

      However, another serious allegation has come out in the special investigation of TRIPURAINFOWAY on the current scam. During his tenure as DM Unakoti Abhishekh Chandra allocated a fund of Rs 1 crore to the Account of Drawing & Disbursement Officer(DDO), ARDD, KumarGhat four months before. It is to be noted that Assistant Director, ARDD, Kumarghat Dr Sanjib Sinha,(who is one of the accused behind the scam and relative of Congress Leader Birajit SInha) is the DDO. Interstingly Dr Sanjib Sinha and his allied officer Dr Samiran Sinha (also a relative of Birajit Sinha) did not submit utilization certificates of Rs 70 lakh allocated earlier for the Dairy Project Unakoti District( buying of High Yielder Cows). The allocation of Rs 1 crore for 'Building of Cattle Shed' to the guilty official raises questions about the motive and intention of the then DM Unakoti District. But after the back to back news published in TRIPURAINFOWAY on the current scam, the Assistant Director, ARDD, Kumarghat was leant to have been instructed by the highest level of state govt( read Chief Minister and Chief Secretary as said by TIWN sources) in the morning of 27th June to return Rs 1 crore immediately. And within one hour DDO ARDD Kumarghat retuned Rs 1 crore to the DM,Unakoti's account. However, most of the honest officials of ARDD hope that Chief Minister should order an impartial enquiry on the incident and it will only bring the truth in front of public. 

Earlier coverage on this Issue :

June 27

www.tripurainfoway.com/news-details/TN/7697/ardd-director-dictating-the-guilty-officials-in-preparing-investigation-reports-on-unakoti-dairy-project-scam-veterinary-officers-under-pressure-to-sign-on-it.html

June 26

www.tripurainfoway.com/news-details/TN/7663/ARDD+irregularities+in+Unakoti+Dairy+Project+Scheme+%3A+Principal+Secretary+instructs+Director+for+thorough+investigation.html

June 23

 www.tripurainfoway.com/news-details/TN/7562/70-lakhs-rupees-scam-unearthed-in-ardd-unakoti-district-reports-say-former-dm-most-likely-prime-accused.html