Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 8: Not only those, who remained at the helm of affairs in the department from time to time, even the Vigilance Organization, Crime Branch and Executive Police played a role in allowing the corrupt elements to flourish in the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department by way of adopting slack approach in handling complaints against them.
This can be gauged from the fact that cases of corruption and maladministration against 172 officials of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department have been pending with the State Vigilance Organization, Crime Branch and Police Department during the past several years. A number of cases have also been pending with different courts for want of information from the department or investigating agencies.
According to an official data available with EXCELSIOR, in Jammu region, 77 cases involving officers of the CAPD Department have been pending with SVO, Crime Branch, Police and courts for disposal while as 95 such cases are pending in Kashmir valley. The seriousness of investigating agencies towards taking the cases to the logical conclusion can be gauged from the fact that a case, which was registered way- back in 1998, is still pending with the Vigilance Organization.
Similarly, several officials, who were booked by these agencies when they were in their active service, superannuated from the department but the cases against them continue to remain pending till date. The most astonishing aspect is that many erring employees have expired but cases against them have not been taken to the logical conclusion thereby putting a huge question mark on the performance of these investigating agencies.
The data indicates that practice of transferring misappropriation/embezzlement cases from Executive Police to Crime Branch was also the reason behind inordinate delay in completion of investigation and presenting challan in the courts. In one such example, a case against the then storekeeper of Sale Centre Inshan was registered in Police Station Marwah in 2004 and later the case was transferred to Crime Branch Jammu.
Now, 10 years after the registration of case, the Government says that a committee constituted vide order dated May 20, 2009 has submitted its report and the same is under review committee.
Similarly, a case against two officials of the department was first registered in Police Station Awantipora in 2007 and then it was transferred to the Crime Branch Kashmir and even after the lapse of seven years the case is still under investigation. These officials were involved in empty gunny bags scam of Lethpora.
The pace with which the investigation into the cases involving CAPD officials is going on, can be imagined from the fact that an official was booked in the year 2007 in fraudulent date of birth certificate case but the probe by the Crime Branch is still going on.
The data indicates that while investigating agencies remained slack in taking the cases to the logical conclusions for obvious reasons the senior officers of the CAPD Department remained busy in first suspending and then reinstating the employees subject to the outcome of the FIRs knowing that investigation into such cases will not come to an end.
In one such example, four officials were placed under suspension in 2011 for allegedly black marketing of one truckload of sugar in Kupwara and then reinstated on the recommendations of Enquiry Officer during the same year subject to the outcome of FIR. Interestingly, the case is still pending with the Police Station Kupwara.
Likewise, an official was placed under suspension in July 2011 in connection with alleged misappropriation of foodgrains meant for Mid Day Meals. He was reinstated during the same year till the outcome of the FIR but the case is still under investigation in Police Station Kakapora.
How could these agencies justify inordinate delay of five to seven years in completing the investigation remains a million dollar question.
“The way the investigation into cases registered against CAPD Department officials is being carried out and the preferential treatment given to the erring employees even after their involvement in misappropriation/embezzlement and corrupt practices, it becomes amply clear that not only those remained at the helm of affairs in the department from time to time but also the agencies like Vigilance, Crime Branch and State Police played a role in allowing corrupt elements to flourish in the department”, they said.
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