Imphal, July 18: Following an expose' run by The Sangai Express on the June 25 edition, 19 Government officials including ten DDOs of the Education Department and nine Treasury Officers of the Treasury Department were placed under suspension for withdrawing over Rs 54 lakhs from the Treasury Department without the provisions of Letter of Credit.

The suspension order was issued yesterday but after Opposition MLA O Joy quoted extensively from the report and went ballistic against the Government during the morning session of the Assembly, the suspension order was tabled in the evening session of the Assembly today.

The ten suspended DDOs of the Education Department include Mrs Ngahachong Kipgen DI in-charge/DDO of ZEO Kangpokpi, Mr K Nabakishore Singh DI, in-charge/DDO of DI Office, Saikul, MrMGopimohon Singh DI/DDO of ZEO Churachandpur, Mr Th Nabachandra Singh, DI/DDO of DI office, Moreh, Mr M Kumar Singh, DI/DDO of ZEO Kakching, Mr N Ibohanbi Singh DI/DDO of ZEO, Zone III, Mr N Ibopishak Singh DI/DDO of ZEO/Zone IV now under transfer as DI/Moirang, Mr K Ibomcha Singh, DI/DDO of ZEO, Ukhrul, Mr S Lekhendra Singh DI/DDO of ZEO Jiribam and Mr P Daikho, DI/DDO of ZEO, Senapati.

The nine suspended Treasury Officers include Mr TK Swante, Assistant Treasury Officer in charge TO of Churachandpur, Mr Nabadwip, Manipur Finance Service in charge TO of Bishnupur, Mr Athem Muivah, MCS Additional Deputy Commissioner and ex-officio TO of Senapati, Mrs Binodini Devi, Senior Accountant in charge TO of Moirang, Md Ali, Senior Accountant in charge of TO, Thoubal, Md Qashim Ali, Manipur Finance Service, in charge of Jiribam, S Ganga, Manipur Finance Service TO of Kangpokpi, T Lhouvum, MCS, Additional Deputy Commission, Moreh and former TO of Moreh and T Tuizar, Manipur Finance Service in charge TO of Ukhrul.

Earlier in the morning session of the Assembly, Opposition MLA O Joy, moving a call attention motion said that officials of Education Department in connivance with officials of the Treasury Department had withdrawn over Rs 54 lakhs without the provisions of Letter of Credit.

The Opposition MLA further said that the School Education Department has become synonymous with corruption and came down heavily on the Government.

Quoting extensively from an expose' run by The Sangai Express on the June 25 edition, the MLA said that the money was withdrawn without any encashment permit.

Recalling the earlier dirt that had surfaced in the School Education Department, O Joy referred to the House Committee that was formed some time back to inquire the misappropriation of lakhs of rupees in the School Education Department at Churachandpur and elsewhere.

The money was siphoned off in connivance with officials of the Treasury Department, the MLA charged.

The MLA demanded to know what actions have been initiated against any of the officials involved in the graft charges.

Stating that many other Departments were also involved in wrongly withdrawing money, Joy said for effect that if he were to recount his experience of such instances ever since he became an MLA it would take seven days.

Replying to the motion raised by O Joy, School Education Minister Y Mani said that the Government started probing the story the moment The Sangai Express carried the news story.

The allegations in the story were found to be true; he admitted.

Y Mani said that a sum of Rs 54,93,976 was withdrawn from the Treasury Department without the provisions of LOC and encashment permit for developing school infrastructures in Ukhrul, Churachandpur, Senapati, Kangpokpi, Saikul, Kakching, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Jiribam and Moirang.

The amount withdrawn include Rs 22,45,661 for 28 schools in Ukhrul, Rs 16,58,315 for 36 schools in Churachandpur, Rs 6 lakhs for 12 schools in Senapati, Rs 4 lakhs for 8 schools in Sadar Hills, Rs 5 lakhs for 10 schools in Saikul, Rs 50 thousand for 5 schools in Kakching, Rs 10 thousand for 1 school in Bishnupur, Rs 10 thousand for 1 school in Jiribam and Rs 10 thousand for 1 school in Moreh.

An inquiry was instituted and the guilty officials will be placed under suspension, said the Minister adding that his.

Department, may have issued the suspension order yesterday.

No guilty employees and officials will be spared, the Minister assured the House.

Not willing to take the word of the Minister at face value, O Joy recalled the Churachandpur case that happened some time-back and added that all the Headmasters, Treasury Officers and others alleged to have been involved in the case have today built palatial houses and are moving in fancy, new cars.

Joy also questioned how many officials and employees of the Education Department have been nailed till date.

He pointedly asked, "What is there to be gained by shielding corrupt officials?" Trying to placate the Opposition MLA, Mani said that the Vigilance Department has already started probing the case and added the suspension order of the guilty officials must have been issued yesterday.

The assurance of the Minister however did not satisfy O Joy who demanded that the suspension order be tabled before the House.

The Opposition will hot soft pedal such an issue involving over Rs 54 lakhs when the Government is in such a condition, then it cannot even finish repairing a road at Rs 3 lakhs, said Joy.