By IANS,
Chandigarh: A move to oblige senior officers by selling gold offered at a famous Hindu shrine near here at much lower rates has put officials of the Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board in Panchkula in the dock.
The Haryana vigilance bureau has ordered the urban local bodies department to take administrative action against its three officials and seek explanation of ex-officio officers of the shrine board as they were found guilty in an investigation regarding the sale of gold offered at the shrine by devotees.
The investigation was done by the vigilance bureau following a complaint from a Chandigarh resident recently that senior officers, associated with the shrine board in an ex-officio capacity, had bought gold coins and jewellery (Mangal Sutras) at much cheaper rates than prevailing market prices.
The gold in question was sold off to these officers secretly in 2005 and 2006.
“The investigation revealed that these pieces were sold at old rate of gold in market. Also, the officers and officials did not maintain proper record of such coins,” a vigilance spokesman said.