Kolkata, Nov 19 :The biometrics attendance records and manual attendance registers in several municipalities in West Bengal are currently under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the cash-for-job case.
Sources said that while probing the cash-for-job angle in the alleged scam, the investigating sleuths have come across a new kind of irregularity in the case, where those under scanner for getting jobs paying cash were highly irregular in attendance and performing duties as per schedule.
A total of 10 municipalities have come under the scanner of the ED sleuths on this count. The central agency has sought the details of the biometrics attendance records and manual attendance of all their staff during the last few years.
Incidentally, sources added, the majority of these ten municipalities that have come under scanner of the central agency sleuths in the matter are all from North 24 Parganas. These major municipalities include North Dum Dum, South Dum Dum, Kamarhati and Barrackpore among others.
ED sleuths have already started an investigation on whether arrested Minister Jyotipriya Mallick had some connections with the municipalities’ recruitment irregularities case besides the ration distribution case.
The suspicion of the central agency has surfaced after studying the pattern of irregularities, geographical locations of the municipalities and the peak time of the irregularities.
Now going by this pattern the sleuths have noted that the irregularities had been during the period when Mallick besides holding his ministerial portfolio was also North 24 Parganas district president of Trinamool Congress.(IANS)