Swindling of funds in execution of water supply scheme
*Inquiry Officer given 15 days time to submit report
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 6: Taking serious note of alleged swindling of funds in the execution of water supply scheme in Doda district, the Government has ordered departmental enquiry against 11 Engineers of the Jal Shakti Department including Executive Engineers and Assistant Executive Engineers, who remained associated with the work.
The matter regarding non-functional water supply scheme—Mandrala-Koti in Doda and swindling of funds of the scheme was raised in the “Mulaqaat” Programme of Lieutenant Governor. Thereafter, the applicant lodged fresh grievance dated March 8, 2022 with regard to latest status and measures taken to provide drinking water and action taken against the corrupt officials.
Accordingly, the District Development Commissioner Doda vide Letter No.DDC/ADm PHE-2021-22/15325-28 dated March 12, 2022 requested the Jal Shakti Department to accept the findings of the report and initiate necessary action against the delinquent officers/officials.
Even Chief Engineer PHE Jammu vide Letter No.PHEJ/DB/17769-70 dated February 1, 2022 informed the Administrative Secretary of the Jal Shakti Department that a complaint regarding alleged swindling of funds allotted for execution of various components of the non-functional water supply scheme had been made by the local inhabitants and DDC Doda’s office had conducted an inquiry into the matter and forwarded the report to the Jal Shakti Department for further course of action.
Acting on the complaint, the Chief Engineer PHE Jammu had also got an inquiry conducted through the Superintending Engineer, Hydraulic Circle Doda and the report of the enquiry was forwarded to the Jal Shakti Department, which vide letter dated March 29, 2022 requested the Anti-Corruption Bureau Jammu to investigate the matter and even asked the Chief Engineer PHE Jammu to furnish the details/particulars of the officers involved/posted during the period in question.
The Chief Engineer PHE Jammu vide Letter No.PHEK/GE/277 dated April 7, 2022 forwarded the details/particulars of 17 officers including five Executive Engineers and six Assistant Executive Engineers, who remained associated with the execution of the scheme during their period of stay in the division.
During the examination of the case, the Jal Shakti Department observed that six officers had retired within one year and the departmental inquiry against these engineers could not be initiated in terms of Article 168-A. Accordingly, the Jal Shakti Department vide letter dated April 27, 2022 served Memorandum, Articles of Charges and Statement of Imputation to the accused officers and on the receipt of replies from them the department decided to appoint an Inquiry Officer to ensure into the charges framed vis-à-vis reply furnished by the accused officers/officials.
Now, in terms of Sub-Rule 4 of Rule 33 of the J&K Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956, Principal Secretary to the Government, Jal Shakti Department Ashok Kumar Parmar has appointed M K Bhat, Chief Engineer PHE Jammu as Inquiry Officer to conduct an exhaustive inquiry against the charges leveled against the officers involved in the case.
He has been given time-frame of 15 days for submission of report along with specific recommendations. Hafiz Ullah Reshi, Assistant Executive Engineer (Technical Officer to Executive Engineer) PHE Division Doda will be the Presenting Officer in the matter.
The departmental inquiry has been initiated against Rajinder Kumar Sharma and S R Shukla, the then Executive Engineers PHE Division Doda, Rajinder Prasad Sharma, Maqsood Ahmed Katoch, Abdul Wahid Zargar, Vikram Dogra and Sandeep Gupta, the then Assistant Executive Engineers in PHE Division Doda, Tanveer Hussain Gattu, Mohd Iqbal Sheikh, Viqar Ahmed Mir and Irshad Ahmed Sheikh, the then Junior Engineers in PHE Division Doda.
“Had the issue not been highlighted during the ‘Mulaqaat’ Programme of the Lieutenant Governor neither the non-functional scheme and swindling of funds would have come to the light nor the exercise been initiated to punish the involved officials”, sources said, adding “it is also required to be ascertained as to why the senior officers of the PHE never preferred to conduct periodic inspection when the scheme was being executed”.
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