MoLT Minister Alam had long been pressing Trital, DG at the Department of Labor (DoL), to illegally transfer Rs 70 million, an amount accumulated at the DOL welfare fund, to Sunrise Bank at the earliest. [break]
According to a knowledgeable government source, Trital was transferred to MoLT after he flatly refused to transfer Rs 70 million to the bank as wished by Minister in the caretaker government Alam. The welfare fund has a total of Rs 1 billion accumulated over a long period through contributions by various employers and trade unions.
Minister Alam had been pressing Trital to transfer the huge amount without consulting other members of a committee comprising representatives of trade unions, the FNCCI and various ministries so that the matter could be kept secret. But the law doesn´t allow Trital to transfer any amount without a formal decision of the committee.
Only a committee authorized to transfer or spend money can deposit the money in a bank account. But the minister wanted Trital to transfer the money secretly, fearing disclosure of the matter. The source told Republica that Minister Alam wanted to transfer the huge amount as he was assured of a handsome kickback.
"The minister was desperate to have the Rs 70 million deposited at Sunrise Bank. But his dreams of a kickback were foiled after DG Trital refused to act as per his wish," the source told Republica on condition of anonymity.
Trital has been given no responsibility at MoLT after he was forcefully transferred there in Alam´s interest. There was an altercation between Alam and Trital after the later refused to take a controversial decision. "I am a minister. Who are you to defy a minister´s instructions? I can either suspend or transfer you if you don´t act as per my desire," the source quoted Alam as telling Trital before he was transferred to the ministry.
Trital, in a bold response, asked the minister to show him any provision under the Civil Service Act for suspending any employee simply because he or she refused to take a controversial decision.
"I stand by my decision and I would never transfer that money to any bank account without the decision of the committee. I am ready to bear any punishment for not transferring the money to the bank account. You can suspend me if the law permits you to do so," the source quoted Trital as responding to Alam.
Immediately after the altercation, Alam pressed high ranking official at MoLT to immediately suspend Trital. But Trital was only transferred to MoLT as Alam was not legally permitted to suspend him.
Trital is the latest to suffer from Alam. Just before Trital´s case, another DG, the Department of Transportation Management (DoTM)´s Adhikari, was transferred to MoLT after he also flatly rejected Alam´s controversial proposal to award a deal on Machine Readable Number Plates to one of his friends.
"Minister Alam had long been pressing Adhikary to award the MRNP deal to one of his friends so that he could get a huge kickback," said a source at MoLT.
Later, Alam´s plan to award the deal to his friend was exposed and the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) seized all the relevent files. "Alam was furious with Adhikary for foiling his dream of awarding the deal and also for his being hauled before the CIAA" said a source, adding, "Later, Adhikary also flatly refused to remove a CCTV from the license trial spot and he was transferred to the ministry by way of action against him." the source said. Minister Alam was not available for comment.
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