Patna, Jan. 13: The state police headquarters has decided to take help of the economic offences wing against public servants charged with siphoning of public funds meant for uplift of the downtrodden.

A day after services of six police officials were terminated on corruption charges, the police headquarters today issued directives to all superintendents of police, asking them to accelerate pace of investigation of cases related to irregularities in the execution of welfare schemes, particularly in Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA).

“The superintendents of police (SPs) have been asked to speed up investigation and submit chargesheets against the accused in the cases related to financial irregularities in implementation of welfare schemes. The district police officials are presently probing these cases. The economic offences wing might take up the investigation of the cases, if required,” said additional director-general of police (headquarters) Ravinder Kumar.

“At present, the economic offences wing at the police headquarters is monitoring the investigation. It issues directives to the investigating officers from time to time,” the officer added.

Sources said over 560 government employees and public representatives have been named as accused in over 400 cases lodged in different police stations of the state in connection with irregularities in central-sponsored schemes.

They added that till August 2011, a total of 402 cases of financial irregularities in Indira Awas Yojana were registered in the state. Araria topped the list with 71 cases. East Champaran stood second with 29 cases followed by Supaul (24), Saharsa (23), Patna (18), Muzaffarpur (16), Katihar (14), Madhubani (14) and Khagaria (10). Chargesheets have already been submitted in concerned courts in 181 cases. A total of 566 accused persons were arrested and forwarded to jail. Araria police submitted chargesheets in 26 cases. Six senior government officials, including a senior deputy collector and a former district magistrate, were arrested on charge of committing irregularities in the implementation of Indira Awas Yojana in the district.

“Four block development officers against whom investigation was pending for long have already been booked. I have directed the investigating officers to complete the investigation in such cases on a priority basis. There was no progress in the investigation of cases till I assumed charge,” Araria SP Shivdeep Lande said. Sources said over a dozen cases were lodged against public servants and public representatives, including mukhiyas, in Saharsa district on the directive Kosi division commissioner JRK Rao.

Rao ordered lodging of FIRs against government employees and public representatives of Saharsa on the basis of complaints that middlemen of village heads were demanding cut money from the beneficiaries. Rao could not be contacted for comment.