Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 2: Alleging large scale irregularities in the functioning of Horticulture Department, the JKNPP activists held a strong protest demonstration seeking punitive action against various officers of the department who had been indicted by the enquiry committee for having committed frauds and bungling in the use of funds meant for various horticulture schemes.
The party workers raised slogans against the Horticulture Department and its director for his shoddy role and for shielding the culprits. The Director Horticulture who was present in the office however, gave a slip and escaped from the rear gate of the office.
Speaking on the occasion, Rajesh Padgotra, provincial president, JKNPP accused the Horticulture Department of plundering the subsidies meant for poor orchardists in connivance with certain politicians and fake beneficiaries.
He said that huge funds were provided to the Horticulture Department for providing incentives and subsidies to farmers, orchardists under various schemes but regretted, the said funds were siphoned-off in the process and did not reach the deserving people and intended beneficiaries.
He said that several orchardists had complained regarding the omissions and commissions of the Departmental functionaries in pursuance of which an enquiry committee was also constituted which gave its adverse findings against several officers.
Padgotra said that all such officers were granted immunity by the department despite the fact that they have been indicted by the enquiry committee because of the involvement of certain politicians and higher ups also in the scams. Seeking immediate action against the delinquents and other corrupt officers, Padgotra warned of stringent action in case the higher authorities failed to act.
Parshotam Parihar, State secretary, Panthers Trade Union, further flayed the Horticulture Department for violating the Government orders regarding payment of incentives and relief amount to beneficiaries through Direct Bank Transfers (DBT) instead of cash, cheque or demand drafts.
The delegation of the party later, visited Director Agriculture office and complained about the plunder of subsidies and incentives meant for poor agriculturalists. They sought a high level probe into the grant of incentives including agriculture inputs, seeds, etc to corrupt politicians in Majalta tehsil at the cost of poor farmers.
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