Action against erring officers recommended
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Nov 30: Taking serious cognizance of the lapse in execution of works and mismatch in the figures provided by the concerned officers, the Department Related Standing Committee has recommended Vigilance investigation into apparent irregularities in the Rural Development Department and suspension of the officials responsible for misleading the House panel on facts.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the House committee has also suggested a time bound enquiry as well as a legal action against the Commissioner/Secretary RDD and recommended that no assignment of public importance be allocated to the said officer.
Besides recommendations, sources added, the House panel has also made some observations and suggested geo-tagging of that MGNREGA works, proper monitoring of major projects by senior most officials, starting special courses to train concerned person on the use of new technology and uploading of all information about different projects and status thereof on the website regularly after 45 days by the concerned executing incharge of the work.
The observations and recommendations by the Department Related Standing Committee (DRSC)-II, of the Legislative Council have been made after threadbare discussion regarding working of the Rural Development Department, material provided by the RDD and the points raised and replied during the course of discussion.
The committee, headed by MLC Ramesh Arora as Chairman and Ajatshatru Singh, Qaiser Jamsheed Lone and Thakur Balbir Singh as Members, is learnt to have recently submitted its findings to the Chairman of Legislative Council for tabling the same in the House and further action thereof.
Sources said that the House Committee members were surprised after going through the record, provided by the Rural Development Department, which revealed that within a span of two months, not only the work proposed and work completed were changed but the amount spent was also changed.
While elaborating, sources said that that the figures provided to the House Committee for its meeting on May 25, 2017 regarding Anganwari Centres and the expenditure incurred do not match the figures provided for meeting dated July 26, 2017. Even the figures pertaining to Jammu region were changed after two months when detail was submitted, the report points out.
The reply regarding use of new technology in ponds and construction to be made by geomembrane and geo textile, furnished by RDD on July 26, 2017 and May 25, 2017 also did not match, sources further said. “As per the information provided on May 25 meeting, number of ponds for Jammu province was shown as 632 and in Kashmir, it was shown as 335 i.e. total number was 967 and completed number was 362 in Jammu region and 56 in Kashmir while three ponds were said to be completed, out of 967, by use of geomembrane technology. However, the reply for meeting on July 26 says that total number of purposed ponds in 2016-17, 2017-18 were 1885 out of which five were constructed by use of geomembrane technology. However, this factual difference could not be explained by the Department representatives during the discussion,” the sources said adding that the figure work was total contradictory and not justified.
Similarly, sources said that as per reply on July 26, the proposed number of protection works using gabion technology for the year 2016-17 and 2017-18 was stated to be 265 and 147 of them completed whereas in earlier reply dated May 25, 774 works were proposed in respect of Jammu only and most of them were executed by gabion technology.
Giving the example of Rajouri where proposed number of protection works was 15 and the authorities have shown 44 works completed by using gabion technology, the House Committee says, “We failed to understand how proposed target can be low from completion target? When proposal was made for enhancing the target from 15 to 44 in Rajouri district and from where funds were provided? No work was carried in Srinagar whereas during oral discussion, it was agreed that work was done there also by using gabion technology.”
Alleging that the Commissioner/Secretary was not able to give specific replies and on a few occasion, it was noticed that the reply was not proper, the House panel has observed that such type of senior officials should not be placed at sensitive position of public importance where they can not reflect, utilize and justify their working and do not have capacity.
“The person holding senior most office in the department as Commissioner/Secretary could not justify and explain the working and difference in figures, should be dealt by an enquiry to be completed within a span of one month and legal action be taken and no assignment of public importance be allocated to the concerned,” the committee recommends.
The House panel further recommends that the signatory and official responsible for preparing reply be suspended and action be taken by referring the matter to Vigilance for misleading the House on fact.
Particularly pointing out the mismatch in figures with regard to protection works at Rajouri and recommending Vigilance investigation into the matter, the House panel has also suggested registration of FIR into the case of contradictory replies furnished regarding Anganwari centre and expenditure incurred during the last three years.
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