Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Mar 6: Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police today carried out raids at eight locations across various districts of Jammu and Kashmir in connection with multi-crore scam in Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC).
The Crime Branch conducted these raids simultaneously in Srinagar, Jammu, Shopian, Kupwara and Ganderbal districts.
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The raids were carried out in the premises of the Dileep Thusoo, former Managing Director JKPCC, at Bhagwati Nagar Jammu, Vikar Mustafa Shuntho, former Managing Director JKPCC at Qamarwari Srinagar, Mohammad Abass Lone, former Deputy General Manager JKPCC at Peerbagh Srinagar,
Shabir Ahmad Najar, the then Deputy General Manager JKPCC, at present HIG Colony Bemina, Mohammad Sideeq Mala, ex-Deputy General Manager at Harran Ganderbal and Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, J.E JKPCC of Sogam Lolab Kupwara at present Tangpora Byepass Srinagar.
An official said that during the searches incriminating material has been seized as per procedure established which is being examined in the case. The raids that started simultaneously at eight locations lasted several hours.
The probe was ordered amid numerous complaints about the functioning of JKPCC, particularly relating to corruption in civil contracts, illegality in appointments at multiple levels and excessive cost and time overruns. The probe followed the appointment of a fact finding committee by the Government to look into all these allegations.
The committee, as per the Government, looked into the manner of awarding contracts to contractors often on a nomination basis without following transparent tendering procedures and diverting funds from one project to another leading to a large number of incomplete projects.
Apart from these, the committee also looked into irregularities in appointments at various levels, including that of the Managing Director, inefficiency in functioning and huge time and cost overruns in project implementation, reasons for estimates for construction being much higher than those of the PWD. It had submitted a voluminous report bringing out in detail large scale irregularities in the operation of the JKPCC and recommendation on improving the Corporation, a Government spokesman had said at the time of announcing the Crime Branch probe.
The J&K Government last year handed over the investigation to Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir which registered an FIR and started investigations.
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