Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Apr 22: Scores of Small Scale Industrial (SSI) Units are suffering badly as the State Power Development Department (PDD) has failed to clear the liability worth over Rs 200 crores of the unit holders for supplying goods under Prime Minister’s “Saubhagya Scheme” in the State.
Sources told the Excelsior that under the Centrally sponsored, “Saubhagya Scheme’, the J&K Power Development Department during last financial year had procured steel tubular electric poles, power transformers, transmission conductors, electric cables, panels and other allied material from the local SSI Units in Jammu, Bari Brahmana, Samba, Kathua, Srinagar and other parts of the State.
The goods were procured through J&K SICOP and Procurement & Material Management Wing (P&MM Div) of the Power Development Department worth over Rs 250 crores from nearly 100 units in the State. Most of the units in J&K, made supplies of the goods well in time, before ending December 2018. While a peanut amount was released to a few units during March this year, the liability worth over Rs 200 crores was still pending.
The sources further revealed that State Power Development Department received the funds from the Union Government before March 31, 2019, but despite that, the officials at the helm of affairs are not releasing the money in favour of these units and causing delay on the flimsy grounds for the reason best known to them.
It was further revealed that as on date an amount of Rs 110 crores as outstanding for the material supplied through J&K SICOP and nearly Rs 90 crores through Procurement wing of the Power Development Department for the material provided by nearly 100 odd SSI units in the State.
The amount received from the Government of India was lying in the bank with the concerned Department but due to some ‘bureaucratic hurdles’ the payments were not being released in favour of unit holders, who have taken loans from the banks and are facing tremendous pressure. The bills though stand uploaded on the portal but not approved by the Director Finance, PDD, a result of which, validity of the uploading of the bills stand expired.
President, Bari Brahmana Industries Association, Lalit Mahajan, when contacted, said that that due to delay in the payments of the unit holders, the operators are suffering huge losses on account of bank interests for the last so many months on the money borrowed from the banks for the supply of materials to PDD. He said that several reminders were given to the Chief Engineer concerned and the Commissioner/ Secretary PDD but the payments have not been cleared. The money has been received by the PDD from the Union Government and now they are causing unnecessary delay.
Chairman, Federation of Industries Jammu (FOIJ), Rattan Dogra said they had taken up the matter with HK Singh, Commissioner/Secretary Power, during February and also met Advisor K K Sharma recently. He had directed the Commissioner/ Secretary on phone during meeting and had assured to release the payments within 2-3 days but still there was no action from that side. He said there seems to ‘something fishy’ behind delay in release of payments. Some ‘Babus’ are creating hurdles for the reason best known to them. The Governor must intervene into the matter, he added.
Development Commissioner Power, Avinash Dubey when contacted said, there is no much delay as being projected. He admitted that the funds have been received from the Government of India under `Saubhagya Scheme’ and maintained that the same will be released in favour of unit holders who have supplied material to the PDD.
Replying to another question, the DCP stated that some evaluation work has to be performed by the officials concerned for the material supplied and after clearance of Codel formalities, the liabilities will be cleared shortly.
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