Gutting of Block Development Offices in Kishtwar
* No outcome of civil admn probe, Police FIRs
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 10: Shocking it may sound but it is a fact that Government has failed to resolve the mystery behind fire incidents in four Block Development Offices in Kishtwar district during the past few years. Moreover, no responsibility has been fixed despite the fact that due to gutting of entire record people have been facing immense difficulties and working of these offices has suffered immensely.
The most astonishing aspect is that Rural Development Department under whose direct administrative control these offices function has till date not evolved any mechanism to protect the record from being destroyed by unscrupulous elements.
As per the information available with EXCELSIOR, office of Block Development Officer along with entire record and a Panchayat Ghar in Dachhan area of Kishtwar district were completely gutted on June 16, 2016 under mysterious circumstances.
Following this incident, police lodged FIR under relevant Sections of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) while as civil administration initiated probe by deputing an inquiry officer with the direction to complete the investigation in the shortest possible time.
On August 3, 2019, sudden fire broke out in the office of Block Development Officer Marwah as a result of which entire record reduced to ashes. Again FIR was lodged in the concerned Police Station and civil administration assigned the task of conducting inquiry into the causes to an officer.
Likewise, on August 3, 2020, the office of the Block Development Officer Warwan got completely damaged in fire under mysterious circumstances. The ‘concerned’ administration again ordered inquiry and police lodged FIR to ascertain the circumstances under which the fire broke out.
“There is one similarity in all these incidents that fire broke out in the late night hours and the cause of the same could not be ascertained by the Fire and Emergency Services Department”, official sources said, adding “moreover, entire record got reduced to ashes in all these offices which clearly indicates that it was the handiwork of those elements who wanted to destroy the record with ulterior motives”.
The most shocking aspect is that neither inquiries ordered by the civil administration after all these fire incidents yielded any positive result nor the FIRs lodged by the police reached the logical conclusion till date as a result of which mystery remained unresolved and responsibility could not be fixed.
“These fire incidents took place only when the people started levelling allegations of large scale corruption in the offices of Block Development Officers as such finger of suspicion tilts towards the employees posted in these block offices”, sources further said, adding “even a number of applications under Right to Information Act seeking information about the execution of works by these block offices were filed before the fire incidents”.
They further said, “it seems that these offices were put to fire deliberately so that alibi of non-availability of record could be taken to deny information under the transparency law”, adding “by any stretch of imagination these fire incidents could not be termed as co-incidence”.
Though several attempts were made to seek the comments of Director Rural Development Department Jammu on these fire incidents yet there was no response to the telephonic calls.
However, Assistant Commissioner Development Kishtwar, when contacted, admitted that departmental inquiries and police investigations into these fire incidents were still going on.
Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Rajinder Singh Tara, when contacted, said, “the possibility of something fishy in all these incidents cannot be ruled out. There cannot be coincidence”, adding “as far as latest fire incident is concerned, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate has been asked to submit report as early as possible so that necessary action could be taken”.
In response to a question, he said, “it is a fact that record of all these offices has reduced to ashes. I have decided to create parallel record of all the BDO offices in the office of Assistant Commissioner Development and exercise will begin shortly”.
As per the reports, in the absence of record in these block offices people have been facing immense difficulties and working of BDOs has also suffered immensely. However, the Rural Development Department has remained unmoved.
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