THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Government shows reluctance to declare a vigilance probe in Vanchiyoor treasury scam case. The treasury staff, Bijulal has siphoned off Rs 2.74 crore using a technical snag in the software. The special police team which probed the case has submitted a report before the home ministry recommending vigilance department to probe the case. But even after one month, home ministry has not taken any step in this regard.

Some quarters allege that government is not initiating a vigilance probe in order to save certain ‘big shots,’ involved in the case. When the probe expanded, serious lapses from the part of higher officials was revealed and their inability to notice the technical snag in software has also come to light. Police recommended a vigilance probe into the case in order to nab all the officials who had made such a grave loss to the government.

City police commissioner has sent a letter to the DGP in this regard, and the DGP has transferred that letter to home ministry. Even after one month after receiving the letter, home ministry has not taken any step to initiate vigilance probe into the case.

As the technical snag in the software is considered as the chief cause which facilitated the scam, a thorough probe should be made about the manufacturing agreement of the software also.

It is expected that this probe could extend to the top officers in the finance ministry and the government thinks that it might also lead to test authenticity of softwares used in other government departments. These could be the reasons why the state home ministry is delaying the vigilance probe.