Recoveries from CAPD officials in multi-crore embezzlement scam
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 31: Despite being reprimanded a number of times by the State High Court, the Government is adopting dilly-dallying tactics in making recoveries from the erring officers of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department in multi-crore ration embezzlement scam. Taking serious note of this, the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice M M Kumar and Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur, while granting last opportunity, directed the Commissioner/ Secretary of CAPD Department along with Directors of Kashmir and Jammu provinces to submit latest status of recovery or remain present in person along with the entire record on next date of hearing.
Shockingly, the CAPD Department is adopting double standards vis-à-vis recovery of embezzled money as it has made substantial progress in respect of erring officials of Jammu division but is going very slow in case of officials belonging to the Kashmir province for the unknown reasons.
In the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) titled Mushtaq Ahmad and Others Versus State of J&K and Others highlighting large-scale embezzlement of ration meant for the common masses in different parts of the State, the Division Bench of State High Court had a number of times grilled the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department for taking in lighter vein the grave issue involving 145 officials.
It was only on the intervention of the High Court that recovery proceedings were initiated by the CAPD Department but the drive never reached the desired level in respect of erring officials belonging to the Kashmir division.
This can be gauged from the fact that out of total amount of Rs 1.64 crore embezzled in Jammu division by 57 officials, a sum of Rs 44.78 lakh has been recovered till date while as efforts of recovery in Kashmir are slow despite the fact that 88 officials belonging to Directorate of CAPD Kashmir are involved in embezzlements.
Astonishingly, only one Tehsil Supply Officer has remitted the outstanding amount out of 88 officials belonging to the Kashmir division.
In respect of recovery from other officials belonging to Kashmir division, the CAPD Department has conveyed to the High Court that concerned Drawing and Disbursing Officers under Directorate of Kashmir have taken up the matter with Deputy Commissioners concerned for recovery of outstanding amount as arrears of land revenue but the status report was still awaited.
On last date of hearing—December 16, the counsel for the CAPD had stated before the Division Bench that the report shall be filed within a week disclosing the latest amount of recovery effected from the defaulters but he failed to produce any such report today. He, in the open court, simply prayed for grant of one more opportunity to ensure compliance of the earlier order.
Taking serious note of the non-compliance, the DB, in the open court, observed, “as mentioned in the earlier order, colossal recovery is likely to be effected from 88 defaulters in the Kashmir division but the efforts of recovery in Kashmir are slow”.
While granting last opportunity to the CAPD Department for ensuring compliance of the earlier order and expediting recovery from the officials belonging to Kashmir division in particular and all the erring employees in general, the DB said, “we make it clear that if the status report is not filed by the adjourned date then Commissioner/ Secretary of CAPD along with Directors of Kashmir and Jammu shall remain present in person along with their records to show-cause why the court directions have not been complied with”.
The dilly dallying tactics of the CAPD Department in effecting recoveries from the erring officials, who have also been identified, clearly indicates that those at the helm of affairs in the department were not ready to protect the public exchequer.
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