Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Mar 18: In brazen financial irregularity, the officers of various departments are learnt to have withdrawn crores of rupees from Government treasuries by issuing Self Cheques on the fag end of last financial year.
According to the information provided by the Directorate of Accounts & Treasuries, the cash has been withdrawn mostly by Engineering Departments where the officers have issued Self Cheques for even withdrawal of hefty amounts ranging from rupees 10 lakhs to 50 lakhs.
The data reveals that these officers, defying the rule laid down in the Government order No. 161-f of 2007, indulged in possible fraud of approximately an amount of Rs 200 crores, which was drawn by them from different treasuries of Jammu in the month of March.
As compared to rest of the year, the amount withdrawn in the month of March is approximately 40 percent of the total budget allocation to these departments.
Pertinent to mention here that as per the financial codes and rule book, the cash can only be drawn on the self basis cheques from the treasuries for meeting the expenditure of emergent nature of works. Emergent works defined by the Government from time to time are; breach of canal, natural calamity, VVIP visit and removal of slides.
Public Works Department, Division II was leading in issuing Self Cheques and withdrew an amount of Rs 7,64,77,356, whereas Division I of the PWD allowed withdrawal of Rs 6,41.45, 166. DDO of Division number 3 preferred self cheques amounting to Rs 3,97,43,674, Xen PWD Samba Rs 1,23,00000, Xen PWD Poonch Rs 88,80,642, Xen PWD Rajouri, 2,18,82,443, Xen PWD Nowshera Rs 2,50,09085, Xen PWD Udhampur Rs 3,64,41,607, Xen PWD Reasi Rs 73,66,772, PWD Katra Rs. 69,91,152, Xen PWD Basohli Rs 1,79,64,432, PWD Ramban Rs 60,02,252 and PWD Chatroo Rs 34,35,420.
These officers withdrew cash on self cheques amounting to 26 percent of the total PWD annual budget and that too only in fag end of financial year 2013-14.
Similarly, the total amount withdrawn by different Executive Engineers cum DDOs of the Public Health Department, Jammu is also in crores, Executive Engineer, PHE Rural issued self cheques worth Rs 3,89,74,296, PHE City Rs 4,59,47,909, PHE North Rs 2,14,32,721, PHE Div Akhnoor Rs 2,56,07305, Xen PHE Poonch Rs 3,98,21,496, PHE Udhampur Rs 4,12,24,402, PHE Div Reasi Rs 4,08,18,677 , Xen PHE Mech Rural Rs 2,21, 23.662, Xen PHE City -2, 1,53,60,000, Xen PHE Div Doda Rs 3,42,32,604, PHE Irrigation flood control Div Kishtwar Rs 2,65,90,446 Xen Irrigation & FC Nowshera Rs. 1,30,83,751, PHE Irrigation Ramban Rs 3,17,35,223 and Xen PHE Samba Rs 70,50,000.
Not only PHE and PWD but the Irrigation, Flood Control, Forest, PDD, Estate and Town Drainage Department officers too have adopted this modus operandi of issuing Self Cheques to favour their dear ones.
Irrigation Division Akhnoor issued self cheques worth Rs 2,33,60,235, Xen Irrigation Div Ist Rs 1,71,52,232, Xen Irrigation Div No-II, Rs 1,09,20,000, Xen Irrigation Udhampur Rs 1,14,28,549, Xen Town Drainage East Rs 5,47,76,522, Xen Town Drainage West Rs 2,93,19000, Xen Irrigation Poonch Rs 66,00000, Xen Estates Rs 2,06,57,865, Social Forestry Rajouri Rs 89,89,027, DFO Rajouri 83,36,545, Chief Conservator of Forest Rajouri Rs 1,19,18,889 and Xen Mech Irrigation Div Rs 61,44,505.
In Power Development Department, Xen PDD STD-1 illegally withdrew Rs 1,85,66,334, Xen E&MRE-1, Rs 1,33,49,754, Xen PDD EM&RE Rs 4,15,48,999, Xen TLCD -1, Jammu Rs 84,50,725, Grid Construction Div Rs 65,73,853, Xen TLCD –II Rs 88,22,830, Xen EM&RE Vijay Pur Rs 96,44,991, Xen EM&RE Poonch Rs 90,85,920, Xen PDD Rajouri Rs 3,32,07550, Xen PDD Kalakote Rs 1,29,00,332, Xen EM&RE Udhampur Rs 3,00,74,871, Xen STD Udhampur Rs 1,63,52,998, Xen ME&RE Kishtwar Rs 1,71,38,036 and Xen Tawi Canal Const Div Rs 75,62,413.
In Forest Department, Wild life Warden Rajouri illegally withdrew Rs 12,94,724, Social Forestry Rajouri Rs 89,89,027, DFO Rajouri Rs 83,36,545, Chief Conservator Rajouri Rs 1,19,18,889, Forest Deptt Nowshera Rs 42,58,171, DFO Udhampur Rs 23,97,866, Forest Div Billawar Rs 86,17,977, DFO Doda Rs 45,54,479, ACF Soil Conservation Doda Rs 25,88,368, Dy Dir Forest Protection Force Rs 44,77,182, DFO Social Forestry Doda Rs 27,35,242, DFO Div Doda Rs 36,14,310, DFO Kishtwar Rs 30,47,272, DFO Marwah Rs 39,00,003, Wildlife Warden Kishtwar Rs 22,87,193 and Forest (S/F) Ramban Rs 67,95,601.
The amount reflected in the Month of March is just a tip of the iceberg and a detailed enquiry may reveal more such financial bunglings.
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