*Axe likely to fall on several officers
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Aug 5: Unbelievable it may sound but it is a fact that Rs 6.23 crore worth Water Supply Scheme of the Public Health Engineering Department, which has been shown completed on the papers, does not exist on the ground. Most shockingly, the District Development Board (DDB) was misled on the status of the scheme for three consecutive years before the enquiries made startling disclosure.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that this scheme for Chanapora-Zabgulla area of Budgam district was actually mooted at a cost of Rs 1.46 crore in the 1980s to provide drinking water to the vast population. However, the fate of scheme continued to hang in balance for years together and finally in 1997-98 the cost of the Water Supply Scheme was revised at Rs 6.23 crore.
Even after revising the cost of the scheme, those at the helm of affairs in the PHE Department never tried to ascertain the progress on the ground and the officers associated with the execution of the scheme made good use of seniors’ deep slumber and embezzled the money at their whims and fancy by submitting false reports, sources said.
Interestingly, this scheme became topic of discussion during the District Development Board meeting of Budgam for three consecutive years but every time the PHE Department conveyed that scheme has been completed. However, during 2011-12 financial year Planning Department’s officers in the District Development Commissioner (DDC) Budgam’s office were asked to come up with all possible details about the scheme that too following much hue and cry by the elected representatives of people, who wanted to ascertain as to which areas were getting water supply if the scheme had been completed.
On the basis of preliminary report from its officers, Planning Department asked the DDC to constitute a multi-disciplinary committee and the same came into being on March 14, 2013 with DDC Budgam as its Chairman and Chief Planning Officer (CPO), District Treasury Officer (DTO) and Superintending Engineer PWD as its members, sources said.
The multi-disciplinary committee visited the spot and found that only some supply lines were laid while as neither intake nor the filtration plant of the scheme was constructed on ground, they added.
Hinting embezzlement of funds earmarked for the scheme, which existed only on the papers, the multi-disciplinary committee submitted its report on May 30, 2013 and accordingly the same was forwarded to the Administrative Secretary of PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Department.
On the instructions of Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Sham Lal Sharma, the Commissioner Secretary of the department, Dr Pawan Kotwal sought necessary information from the Chief Engineer, Kashmir, which were furnished recently.
However, the Minister as well as Commissioner Secretary don’t want to leave any legal lacuna and have directed the Chief Engineer to furnish the details vis-à-vis the officers, who had generated bills for various works on the scheme, who were responsible for carrying out inspection of the work and who had furnished information that scheme had been completed, sources said.
“Moreover, they are also keen to know the year-wise and component wise expenditure shown on the scheme since 1997-98 and who were involved in purchase of pipes without carrying out work on intake and filtration plant”, sources further said. “This is being done to ensure that those involved in embezzlement of such a huge amount and misleading the District Development Board don’t go scot free and legal action is initiated against them under law”, they added.
In response to a question, sources said, “the modus operandi behind purchasing supply pipes without carrying out work on other components of the scheme was to embezzle funds”, adding “the pipes were purchased beyond the earmarked funds with the ulterior motives”.
Confirming that scheme has been existing only on the papers, the Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Sham Lal Sharma said, “we will not allow any officer or official involved in the embezzlement to go scot free as they have not only caused loss to the exchequer but also misled the institution of District Development Board besides depriving people of the drinking water facility”.
“On the receipt of more details from the Chief Engineer, we will submit the case to Crime Branch or Vigilance Organization for necessary action under law”, he added.
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