*Cost of addl works to be recovered from erring officer
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 4: Taking serious note of negligence and supervisory lapses in the construction of bunkers in the border belt under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) scheme, district administration Jammu has placed under suspension Block Development Officer (BDO) of the area along the International Border with Pakistan and ordered a departmental inquiry under Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services Rules.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that in order to provide protection to the inhabitants of the border people from shelling and firing from across the border by Pakistani troops, Union Ministry of Home Affairs last year decided to construct several bunkers along the International Border in Jammu district on pilot basis. Accordingly, the location of these bunkers was decided keeping in view their vulnerability to the firing from the Pakistani Rangers.
A total of 94 bunkers—34 under Border Area Development Programme (BADP) and 60 under pilot project were sanctioned in respect of Jammu district for the financial year 2016. Accordingly, the task of construction of these bunkers was entrusted to the Rural Development Department.
It was explicitly conveyed to the Rural Development Department that the concerned Block Development Officers (BDOs) shall look into all the aspects particularly level of underground water in that particular area before start of work on underground bunkers with the capacity to accommodate around 20 persons.
The BDOs were also told that in case of high water table instead of underground bunkers, over-ground bunkers shall be constructed with bandh of sufficient height on the side facing the International Border so as to ensure smooth execution of the work, sources said.
However, the Jammu district administration received a number of complaints from the public in respect of poor quality of work on the bunkers in some blocks particularly in Arnia, which otherwise is frequently targeted by the Pakistan Rangers by resorting to unprovoked shelling and firing.
The issue was also raised in the meeting of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) which was held on August 13 and it was decided that an inquiry will be conducted into the complaints received from the people of border areas.
It is pertinent to mention here that EXCELSIOR in its edition dated August 19, 2016 had exclusively reported that about dozen bunkers have been filled with underground water because of the failure of the Rural Development Department to assess the water table before raising the underground structures.
EXCELSIOR had also mentioned that due to slackness of the Block Development Officers the plan of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs of protecting the lives of border dwellers has received major set-back because of the negligence of the field functionaries of the Rural Development Department in certain border blocks. Even it was mentioned that erring Block Development Officers will face stern action for supervisory lapses.
Thereafter, a committee was constituted by the Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Simrandeep Singh for physical verification of the bunkers in the light of complaints received from the people, sources said while disclosing that after detailed inquiry the committee headed by Additional District Development Commissioner (ADDC) Jammu, Anuradha Gupta, submitted report highlighting the lapses regarding the construction of bunkers in Arnia block.
As the findings prima-facie point towards serious negligence and supervisory lapses on the part of BDO Arnia in execution of important project, the Deputy Commissioner Jammu in exercise of powers vested in him in terms of J&K CCA Rules read with Schedule 1B of J&K CSR further read with Government Order No.741-GAD of 1993 dated November 3, 1993 has placed BDO Arnia, Chaman Lal Gandhi, under suspension with immediate effect.
The erring BDO has been attached in the office of ADDC Jammu and BDO Bishnah has been given the additional charge of block Arnia till the period of suspension of Chaman Lal Gandhi. The BDO Bishnah has been directed to take corrective steps in respect of half a dozen bunkers in Arnia on the pattern of measures taken in Suchetgarh block so that bunkers could be made inhabitable and put to use during the ongoing border firing and shelling.
“It has also been decided that the cost of the additional works required to be carried out on half a dozen bunkers would be recovered from the erring BDO as it was due to his negligence that bunkers have been filled with groundwater”, sources said.
The inquiry committee has pointed out that the drawing/type design adopted and specifications of construction were not appropriate for Arnia area as the water table is very close to the Natural Surface Level, sources said, adding it has been observed by the inquiry committee that there is no provision of plastering/ water-proofing of the walls from outside which are in direct contact with the earth.
“No provision has been kept for construction of catchment water drains and water-proofing treatment in the bed/walls, which is one of the causes of seepage of water in the bunkers”, the inquiry committee said, adding one of the bunkers was constructed at the bank of a pond which is totally unfit for such a construction. Moreover, the height of entry gates in case of some of the bunkers has been kept 4.5 feet only, which otherwise should not have been less than 6.5 feet.
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