Ambulances: Official transport of Red Cross functionaries

Secretaries of District Red Cross departments of Punjab,Haryana and Chandigarh,appearing in an ongoing inquiry regarding misuse and embezzlement of funds at Punjab Bhawan on Thursday,gave ample proof of the charges against them. In a brazen misuse of power and resources,most of the representatives of the 43 District Red Cross Societies arrived in ambulances at the venue.

About 70 officials appeared before a commission,comprising two retired judges — Justice Nehru and Justice Bahri,appointed by Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court T S Thakur.

The officials had been summoned to submit accounts details and balancesheets in a probe marked by the High Court regarding alleged embezzlement of official funds in Red Cross Societies across the region.

Story continues below this ad

The investigation was ordered after a group of NGOs,led by Resurgence India,scrutinised the records and expenditure of Red Cross Societies after obtaining information under the Right to Information Act.

In December 2007,Resurgence India filed a writ in the High Court after several discrepancies were discovered.