The report of the Inquiry Officer, appointed for reporting on the 6.23 crore rupees worth Budgam water supply scheme is an eye opener for the Government and also for the public. The Government gets a glimpse of how it is hoodwinked and defrauded by none else but its own employees and officers. This in particular refers to the PHE Department which is responsible for execution of Budgam water supply scheme. The sum total of this scam is that the engineers and officials concerned with the scheme have lied to the Government continuously for three years by saying that the scheme in question has been completed. The reality as observed by the Inquiry Officer is that besides laying a few pipelines nothing has been done.
The reports has pointed out that the engineers were more interested in purchasing the pipes and not in supervising the progress of the work done on the ground. Obviously, purchases made for huge amounts must have provided the interested engineers their commission. The result was that drinking water shortage for the people of the concerned region could not be removed. The people clamor for drinking water and come out in crowds to demonstrate their anger on non supply of drinking water. The Inquiry Officer has expressed deep anguish on the callousness and corrupt practice of the engineers who have been evading required information to the concerned authorities. The report casts aspersions on the Chief Engineer saying that he has been totally unconcerned with the progress of the scheme and with the question of bringing it to completion within the time frame.
Now, that the Inquiry Officer has submitted his report based on physical verification of Budgam water scheme, some engineers and officers stand indicted of willful distortion and suppression of facts about the water supply scheme. Why should not the Government take the second step of bringing the defaulting engineers and others to book? A case of corruption and willful subversion of facts should be registered against them. Instantaneously FIR should be lodged against them and they should be arrested and brought before the court of law. Only through meeting out exemplary punishment in cases of established corruption, bribery and negligence of duty can we set the things right in the State. The Government has every right to prosecute the case expeditiously and bring the culprits to justice.
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