RED CROSS 'FRAUD' 

Burdwan, Jan. 3 :    Burdwan, Jan. 3:  The administration today pulled up the district chapter of the Indian Red Cross Society over alleged financial irregularities. District magistrate Manoj Agarwal, who is also chairman of the society's district wing, has asked secretary Susanta Das to explain why action should not be taken against him on charges of fraud. Das has not submitted a statement of accounts three months after a fund-raiser was held at Sanskriti Lok Mancha here. Sources said the Burdwan Red Cross had organised a musical soiree on September 30 last year to raise money for a development fund. In the middle of December, Das went to submit the statement of accounts at a managing committee meeting on a plain sheet of paper. It was not backed by vouchers of payments made to the artistes. The committee members, led by the magistrate, refused to accept it. The sources added that Das mentioned in his statement that a prominent actress was given Rs 85,000. But her programme manager in the district said she was not paid more than Rs 45,000. "A meeting will be held on January 14, where Das has been asked to submit the relevant receipts. He was in charge of the function, so he has to submit a proper statement of accounts. If necessary, I will set up a three-member panel to probe the matter," said Agarwal. Das said he could not draw up the statement due to lack of time.