Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 7: With the Investigating Officer (IO) submitting that the much-publicized Ganpat bridge scam case has been taken to its logical conclusion, the Central Vigilance Office is conducting the legal scrutiny of the final investigation report for passing further orders. However, there are apprehensions about guilty being punished in view of the involvement of influential persons in the fraud.
The FIR in the scam was registered in the year 2011 at Police Station, Vigilance Organization Jammu but it picked up momentum only when the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge, Doda started seeking status reports in the Ganpat bridge scam in a complaint filed before it.
The ground behind filing complaint before the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge, Doda was that Vigilance Organization was not conducting investigation seriously despite the fact that the scam had caused huge loss to the exchequer.
In its latest status report, the Investigating Officer has mentioned, “on the basis of oral and documentary evidences collected during the course of investigation, the case has been taken to its logical conclusion”, adding “the final investigation report under Section 5(1)(c)(d) read with Section 5(2) of J&K Prevention of Corruption Act, 2006 and Section 120-B and 420-A RPC has been submitted to the Central Vigilance Office for perusal and further orders after legal scrutiny”.
When contacted, Director Vigilance, Sheikh Owais said, “the legal scrutiny of any final investigation report is imperative to remove flaws if any”, adding “after legal scrutiny of the final report we will present the case before the State Vigilance Commission for perusal”.
“After exercise at the State Vigilance Commission level we will approach the Government for prosecution sanction as several serving Government officers are allegedly involved in the scam”, he said in response to a question.
In the final investigation report, it has been mentioned that several officers of the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) and Anil Kumar Sharma, Proprietor of M/s AK Construction entered into a criminal conspiracy among themselves and accordingly JKPCC arbitrarily and without inducing any competition awarded contract for construction of a balanced cantilever bridge over River Chenab at Pul Doda in favour of M/s A K Constructions without bank guarantee to the extent of Rs 266 lakh in excess of authorized mobilization amount.
“The excess payment was made for construction of haul and approach road thus causing wrongful loss to the State exchequer and corresponding wrongful gain to the private party to the tune of Rs 135 lakh”, the report said. “Even the technical sub-committee, which was constituted to assess the credentials and the backup of equipment of the contractor, selected M/s A K Constructions arbitrarily and with dishonest intention”, the report added.
According to the report, Anil Kumar Sharma had started construction of the bridge in November 2006 without issuance of any allotment order by JKPCC which was actually issued in the month of February 2007. “The JKPCC officers with full knowledge in respect of these facts approved issuance of allotment order in the month of February 2007, four months after the work had actually been taken up, thereby indicating nexus between contractor and JKPCC authorities”, the report further said.
“In contravention of Memorandum of Understanding signed between JKPDC and JKPCC, the draft agreement prepared by JKPCC officers deliberately and with wrongful intention omitted the bank guarantee clause whereby mobilization advance in favour of Anil Kumar Sharma was to be secured against the bank guarantee”, the report further said, adding “even false measurement books showing construction of excess length of haul and approach roads were prepared resulting into excess payment of Rs 20.91 lakh in favour of Anil Kumar Sharma”.
Though the final investigation report has established the scam yet apprehensions are being expressed about the guilty being punished as some of the accused in the case are influential while as others are enjoying the backing of politicians.
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