Kendrapara: Police Monday arrested Nirmala Kumar Acharya, former in-charge headmaster of Karanja UP School and Gokhapada Primary School, on the charge of misappropriating government funds earmarked for school building and toilet construction under Sarva Shikhya Abiyan (SSA), said Sukanta Kumar Patra, IIC of Marshaghai police station.
According to DPC of SSA Kanhu Charan Dhir, Acharya, who has been officiating at Mahakalapada BEO office, allegedly misappropriated lakhs of rupees during his stint as the in-charge headmaster of the two schools in 2013.
The SSA provided Rs 5.40 lakh for construction of building and toilets in the two schools. Acharya withdrew Rs 3.10 lakh from the school account and bungled the funds. Despite repeated instructions from the SSA office, the teacher failed to construct the building.
Atanu Das, senior technical consultant of SSA in Mahakalapada block, lodged an FIR at Marshaghai police station February 11 against Acharya. Acting on the FIR, the police registered a case and started inquiry.
The DPC of SSA had earlier lodged an FIR at Town police station against Niranjan Mekap, former headmaster of Korua UGUP School on similar charges.
Similarly, an FIR was lodged by the DPC against Purna Chandra Nayak, the former headmaster of Sakarpur Primary School in Derabish June 1 for misappropriating Rs 75,000 and Ashoka Kumar Patnaik, the former headmaster of Batira Primary School in Marshaghai on similar charges.
SP Nitinjeet Singh said he would direct the IICs of the police stations to conduct inquiry and put all such errant teachers behind the bars. PNN
