Chandigarh, April 29 -- Learning the lesson the hard way, after crores of rupees from the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society (CREST) and municipal corporation (MC) funds were siphoned off, the UT administration has barred departments from assigning sensitive financial work to contractual or outsourced employees, citing accountability concerns raised during the ongoing police probe.

In an order issued on April 27, the finance department directed all heads of departments to ensure that crucial and financial assignments are handled only by regular employees, warning of strict action in case of violations.

"In the wake of recent irregularities observed in the bank accounts of the CREST and Chandigarh MC, ...