No action taken despite establishment of serious financial irregularities

PAC dubs reply of Police  Deptt as ambiguous
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 9: In the much-publicized case of irregular payments on hiring of vehicles during Parliament and Assembly elections in 2014, no action has been taken against the erring officers of the Police Department despite establishment of serious financial irregularities. Moreover, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Legislative Assembly has dubbed the reply of the Police Department as ambiguous.
However, the PAC has also not made any recommendation to the Government for want of report by its Sub-Committee as such the audit paragraph of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India has remained inconclusive despite lapse of over two years.
The irregularities and misappropriation of funds meant for carriage of constabulary and hiring of vehicles during Parliament and Assembly elections in 2014 were brought to the notice of Director General of Police by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India in the year 2016 for necessary action.
“An amount of Rs 4.04 crore was paid for hiring of buses, trucks and light motor vehicles that turned out to be registered as scooters, motor-cycles, non-commercial vehicles, tractors and bulldozers or were non-existent. Further there was double payment of Rs 1.40 lakh while payment of Rs 1.42 crore was doubtful as there were no details of the vehicles hired and irregular payment of Rs 0.30 crore on hiring of non-commercial vehicles”, the CAG had mentioned in the audit paragraph No. 3.10.
Following this, Police Headquarters directed IGP Crime to conduct enquiry and submit the report by or before August 18, 2016 for onward submission to the Home Department. Accordingly, Crime Headquarters constituted two committees—one each for Jammu Zone and Kashmir Zone to verify the contents of the CAG report.
In his report, the IGP Crime mentioned: “Though allegations of misappropriation of Government funds on part of Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) were not substantiated yet lack of supervision, negligence and carelessness were prima-facie established not only by DDOs but by concerned MTOs, clerks, accounts people of Finance Department and Dealing Assistants for which they need to be dealt with departmentally”.
The Public Accounts Committee of Legislative Assembly headed by National Conference MLA Mohammad Akbar Lone, while examining the audit paragraph of the CAG and report of the IGP Crime observed, “the report of Crime Branch inter-alia pointed out serious financial irregularities”.
During the course of proceedings of PAC, the Finance Department furnished the detailed audit report conducted by Directorate of Audit and Inspection on the accounts of DDOs of the Police Department in respect of Jammu Division.
The Finance Department informed the PAC that as regard to double drawal of Rs 1.40 lakh by the then SSP PCR Jammu, the DDO had deposited the same in Government treasury as the DDO had realized the mistake before framing of the audit report. About ‘ghost’ vehicles’, only 7 had been found suspicious out of 237 vehicles hired for smooth conduct of elections.
With regard to hiring of private vehicles, the concerned DDOs had submitted in writing that due to non-availability of commercial vehicles they were forced to hire private vehicles from open market. Similarly, as regard to deduction of income tax the Finance Department submitted before the PAC that almost all the DDOs had deducted the TDS but the then SSP Jammu had stated that TDS could not be deducted due to the reason that single firm was not owing all the vehicles and the owners had given undertaking that they will deposit the TDS at their own level.
The allegations of misappropriation of Government funds on the part of DDOs were not substantiated but lack of supervision, negligence and carelessness of the concerned DDOs was observed, the PAC was informed.  It was also conveyed to the PAC that serious note of lapses and casual approach on account of some DDOs while booking expenditure was taken and written displeasure had been conveyed to the concerned DDOs with the directions to remain careful in future.
As per the PAC report, which was tabled in the Legislative Assembly today, taking serious note of the financial irregularities with regard to the then SSP PCR Jammu, a departmental enquiry against the concerned dealing hands had been entrusted to the IGP Jammu on December 31, 2016 followed by reminders by the Police Headquarters on May 12, 2017 and July 17, 2017 respectively. However, the outcome of the same is still awaited.
As the PAC was not satisfied with the reply of the Police Department, its Chairman constituted a Sub-Committee of seven members in order to examine the audit paragraph of CAG threadbare with the concerned department and submit a report, which, however, is also awaited. In this way, the audit paragraph of supreme audit institution of the country has remained inconclusive and erring officers have remained unpunished.

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