[ Indu Chukhu ]
ITANAGAR, 28 Jan: East Siang district has two deputy directors of school education (DDSE) – both of whom assumed charge in August 2023 – affecting the employees of the education department.
It is learnt that the education commissioner had issued transfer and posting orders to the duo, but later, on 28 August, 2023, the commissioner issued a fresh notification, cancelling the earlier one.
Jongge Yirang, former principal of GHSS Geku (U/Siang) was transferred to Pasighat as DDSE while East Siang DDSE Odhuk Tabing was posted as the principal of GHSS Geku.
On 12 January this year, the chief manager of the SBI branch in Pasighat sent a letter to the East Siang DC, stating that the bank can no longer entertain transactions with the DDSE office, explaining that the bank is confused as to which of the two DDSEs to address officially regarding bank transactions.
“The bank will no longer be able to honour any government bills or cheques of the department,” the letter read. It mentioned also that “the public financial management system (PFMS) will also not be honoured until proper order is issued as to who is the current drawing and disbursing officer (DDO).” The DDSE also holds the post of the DDO.
On 19 January, East Siang Treasury Officer Tigul Megu wrote a similar letter to the DC, regarding “discontinuation of bills pertaining to the East Siang DDSE.”
The letter mentioned that, “since the matter is under court proceedings, and in order to not create any other confusion, the treasury office has discontinued the bills proceedings to the DDSE office.”
This daily tried reaching out to East Siang DC Tayi Taggu, but faced connection issues.
The refusal of the bank and the treasury office to entertain any bill from the DDSE office will drastically affect all the teaching and non-teaching members of the district’s education department.
There are a total of 1,352 teachers in the district. One of them informed that, “due to the financial year ending in March, it can be another factor for the non-payment of salary.”
It is learnt that the two DDSEs are functioning from the same office – one from the ground floor and the other from the first floor.
This daily is in possession of a document on the ex-parte charge of the East Siang DDSE, in which the name of the relieving DDSE, Odhuk Tabing, has been mentioned without his signature specimen, followed by the name and signature of the transferred DDSE Jongge Yirang.
Speaking to this daily, Yirang said, “I have already mentioned in my memorandum that I have not received any successive order for my transfer and am abiding by the normal proceedings.”
He said also that he is “demotivated by the entire episode, as I am simply receiving my monthly salary by doing nothing in the office.”
“Since I am left with only two years for my superannuation, I will wait for it,” Yirang said.
