Motihari: The education department has issued a letter directing action against East Champaran district education officer (DEO) Sanjeev Kumar following allegations of irregularities in the supply of benches and desks to govt schools. The letter, signed by additional chief secretary S Siddharth, highlights discrepancies in the procurement process and outlines steps for further investigation. According to department sources, 98,328 desks and benches were supplied by 34 local agencies to 2,287 primary, middle and high schools in the district during the 2023-2024 academic year. A payment of Rs 50 crore was made to these agencies. Concerns about the quality of these supplies were initially raised by MLA Pawan Jaiswal, who alleged a “bench-desk scam” and accused education department officials of misusing public funds. He specifically pointed out that the benches and desks supplied were of substandard quality. The govt assured the assembly that the matter would be investigated. District magistrate Saurabh Jorwal inspected the supplied furniture and confirmed that the quality was unsatisfactory. With prima facie evidence against DEO Sanjeev Kumar, the govt decided to proceed with a formal inquiry. The letter states that special secretary Satish Chandra Jha has been appointed as the operating officer while the regional education deputy director of Muzaffarpur has been designated as the presenting officer for the case. The operating officer has been asked to complete the departmental proceedings within three months and submit a detailed report on the findings.
