DB seeks ATR on ex-MD, DGM in Housing scam

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 15: In the much publicized Rs 27 crore scam in J&K Housing Board, Division Bench of the State High Court comprising Chief Justice Bader Durrez Ahmed and Justice Sanjeev Kumar today directed Commissioner Secretary to Government Housing and Urban Development Department to file Action Taken Report (ATR) against Ram Paul Sharma, the then Managing Director Housing Board and Aftab Rashid Pandit, the then DGM with regard to the report submitted by Inquiry Officer M Raju.
These directions were passed in the much publicized Public Interest Litigation (PIL) titled Sheikh Mohd Shafi and Another Versus Union of India and Others wherein the petitioners have highlighted rampant corruption in State and non grant of prosecution sanction against high ups against whom the State Vigilance Organization has sought sanction in various scams.
When the PIL came up for hearing, Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed with Advocates Rahul Raina and Surpriya Chouhan submitted that M Raju, former Commissioner JMC, who was appointed Inquiry Officer Vide Government Order No. 142-HUDD of 2017 dated June 15, 2017 to conduct regular departmental enquiry against Ram Paul Sharma, then MD J&K Housing Board and Aftab Rashid Pandit, then DGM Housing Unit-II Srinagar, has submitted his report to the Commissioner Secretary Housing and Urban Development Department.
On this, DB, in the open court, said, “yes newspaper (Daily Excelsior) in its report published today has revealed that Inquiry Officer has held the officers guilty….we have gone through the same”.
Continuing with his arguments, Advocate Ahmed said, “though the Inquiry Officer has finally concluded that the then Managing Director Ram Paul Sharma and then Deputy General Manager Aftab Rashid Pandit were responsible for grave financial irregularities and procedural deviations which led to the depletion of financial reserves of the J&K Housing Board to the tune of Rs 27 crore yet action has not been initiated against these officers”.
“Appropriate time bound directions are required to be issued to the Housing and Urban Development Department to place before the court the action taken in the matter particularly after the receipt of the inquiry report”, Advocate Ahmed further submitted.
At this stage, Division Bench put a specific query to Senior Additional Advocate General S S Nanda as to what action has been taken by H&UDD in the matter. “The inquiry report is under examination by the Administrative Department”, Senior AAG replied.
Looking into the seriousness of the matter, the DB, in the open court, issued directions to the Commissioner Secretary H&UDD to file action taken report against the delinquent officers of J&K Housing Board namely Ram Paul Sharma and Aftab Rashid Pandit within two weeks from today.
The DB also directed Senior AAG Nirmal Kotwal appearing for the Commissioner Secretary, Public Works Department to file the status report within two weeks regarding the progress of the departmental enquiry initiated against Executive Engineers namely Bashir Ahmed Bhat,  G H Khanday and Joginder Lal, who were on deputation to J&K Housing Board when works to the tune of Rs 27 crore were executed.
The DB even directed Government Advocate Tarun Sharma appearing for Commissioner Secretary to Government, Finance Department to file the updated status of the departmental enquiry within two weeks with regard to the then Financial Advisor Housing Board Kulbushan Kumar, who was on deputation to J&K Housing Board during the time of the execution of works.
The Division Bench directed the Registry to re-notify this PIL on February 22, 2018.

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