Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 26: The State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) today registered a case against 10 persons including eight Government officials of Rural Development Department and two Panchayat members in Ramsu block of Ramban district for misappropriation of MGNREGA funds worth Rs 6.01 lakh.
The officials have been booked under Sections 5(1) (c), 5(1) (d) read with 5(2) J&K Prevention of Corruption Act, 120-B, 409, 420, 467, 468 and 471 RPC in police station Vigilance Organization, Jammu. The case was registered on the basis of an enquiry conducted into allegation of misappropriation of State funds under MGNREGA Scheme.
The Vigilance has named the officials and Panchayat members booked in the scam as the then Block Development Officers (BDO)s Ramsu Charanjeet Singh and Zaheer Abbas Bhat, Shabir Ahmad, Executive Engineer REW Division Ramban, Javed Ahmed, Incharge AEE block Ramsu, Ghulam Mohammad Giri, Accountant Block Office, Ramsu Surjeet Singh, Junior Engineer Ramsu, Kuldeep Singh, Multi Purpose Worker, Ayaz Ahmed, Gram Rozgar Sewak(GRS), Krishan Lal Thakur, Sarpanch Panchayat Halqa Senabatti-A and Sherifa Begum, Panch Halqa Senabatti-A.
Official sources said the accused had misappropriated an amount of Rs. 6,01,079 dishonestly and fraudulently for different works
The work of Land Development/Protection Bund Gatali was issued by the Sarpanch Krishan Lal Thakur, Panchayat Halqa Senabatti-A beyond his competency which was found non-existent during enquiries. Sharifa Begum in a conspiracy with the VLW Kuldeep Singh and GRS Ayaz Ahmed prepared fake muster sheets which were signed by JE Surjeet Singh and then counter signed by the BDO Charanjeet Singh.
On the basis of this, fake and forged muster sheets, an amount of Rs.65,425 was withdrawn. Simultaneously, fake bills were prepared for the same work by AEE Javed Ahmed, which were test checked by the then Executive Engineer REW Shabir Ahmad and on this account, an additional amount of Rs1 lakh was misappropriated.
The construction of `Pacca Path’ from Chatan Bass to PWD Road was completed with the expenditure of Rs1.24 lakh. However, BDO Charanjeet Singh and Sarpanch K.L.Thakur with dishonest intention drew an additional amount of Rs 1 lakh vide cheque No.0929430299 dated 24.08.2011 from J&K Bank Ukhral, thus projecting the cost at Rs 2.24 lakh, sources said.
The construction of Pacca Bund near Army PWD Road was completed by showing an expenditure of Rs.2,52,557. The Sarpanch, JE, VLW, GRS & BDO in a conspiracy with Accountant Ghulam Ahmad Giri misappropriated an amount of Rs.69,000 by preparing wrong final report showing above mentioned expenditure where as the bills and muster sheets showed an expenditure of Rs.1.83 lakh only.
In construction of `Pacca Path’ from Bus Stand to hospital, an excess amount of Rs.44,000 was withdrawn, which was not substantiated by the record and bills attached with the final report, sources said.
“For construction of community path from Foot Bridge to Gatali, a double withdrawal was made by the then BDO Zahir Abbas and Sarpanch K.L.Thakur for an amount of Rs.40,050 on account of skilled labourers and Rs.98,000 on account of material purchased thus making a total misappropriation of Rs1.38 lakh.
Enquiry report has further revealed that fake and fictitious muster sheets were prepared in the name of students studying far away at Jammu and Udhampur, labourers working in Gurez and Uttar Pradesh, Rehbar-e-Taleem (RET) teachers serving at distant location. Not only this, even the signatures were forged on behalf of those persons who were not involved in any job activity and on whose names, fake job cards were prepared by then BDOs.
Enquiry report has also revealed that undue benefits have been granted in Indira Awas Yojna (IAY) to the persons who were not entitled to get the benefit. Further investigation in the case were in progress.
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