Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Aug 4: Large scale irregularities in the arrangements for annual Amarnath pilgrimage, by compromising security of the pilgrims, has come into light. Police authorities are investigating brazen irregularities in permissions for erecting tents at the Yatra Base Camp in Sheshnaag, Pahalgam.
Police have seized relevant record pertaining to the permissions while Governor N N Vohra, who is also Chairman of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, is learnt to have taken serious note of the matter in this regard and sought details of the case, highly placed sources informed the Excelsior.
The preliminary investigations on the basis of seized records and statement hinted at the involvement of officers of district administration Anantnag, who allegedly issued permissions on forged documents, without verifications and necessary formalities after accepting bribe money from the applicants, sources disclosed.
Despite well known fact of militants’ threat to the annual Hindu pilgrimage, sources disclosed that permissions were granted without police verification. Antecedents of the applicants were not confirmed before issuing permissions thus inviting a high risk to security of hundreds of pilgrims who stay in these tents at the base camp, sources explained.
Further, there were discrepancies in the documents submitted for the permissions, a number of which have been issued without counter sign of the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of SASB. A few permissions even carry forged signatures of Additional CEO, sources said.
As per the statements recorded by the police, Rs 1500 to 5000 were allegedly taken as bribe by the concerned officers for each permission and total 2095 permissions have been granted for erecting tents at the Sheshnag Base Camp. An approximate amount of more than Rs one crore was collected as bribe money for issuance of permissions for tents only by the concerned officers, sources explained.
Interestingly, all the permissions have been granted on a single day that too prior to date of issuance of General Receipt of Rs one hundred for the same. The permissions were issued on May 29 whereas the General Receipts carry the date of June month, which makes it clear that even GRs were not attached with the documents while applying for the permission, sources explained.
The scrutiny of seized records prime facie also established tempering of documents by changing the permission for a shop or other purpose to erect a tent for providing paid accommodation to the pilgrim at the base camp.
According to the statements recorded by police in presence of Camp Magistrate, permissions were issued by concerned officers not in their respective offices but at other place likes private schools and other such complexes for the apparent reason of avoiding any risk of being caught while accepting bribe money.
Sources said that the preliminary investigations in the case have been completed by the Zonal Officer Sheshnag Base Camp, Dy SP Ajay Sharma, who has submitted a detailed report to the concerned Superintendent of Police for further action.
Meanwhile, taking cognizance of the reports of alleged irregularities in issuance of permissions by the officers of the District Administration by accepting bribe and compromising security of the pilgrims, the office of Governor N N Vohra has directed the concerned police officers to submit a report in this regard.
Naveen Choudhary, Principal Secretary to the Governor, also confirmed that the report has been sought from the Police, which was investigating the case. “This is very serious matter and the guilty will be dealt sternly under the law of land,” he added maintaining that SASB would not allow any kind of corrupt practices in arrangements for the annual pilgrimage.
Surfacing of the case has exposed the vicious circle of corrupt officers in the local administration, who have been making money in the name of arrangements for the annual pilgrimage in the South Kashmir.
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