Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 4: Several Government departments have concealed the posting details of the officers and officials facing the departmental enquiries on the allegations of corruption, nepotism and throwing rules to winds to obtain and provide pecuniary benefits. Public Works and Revenue, which are notorious for corrupt practices, are on the top of the list of such departments.
The most shocking is the aspect that in these departments even inquiries into tampering of the records and use of substandard material are allowed to linger on for more than five years thereby boosting the morale of the officers indulging in illegal acts.
According to the official data available with EXCELSIOR, Public Works (R&B) Department has not submitted the posting details of the officers and officials facing departmental enquiries to the General Administration Department despite explicit directions from the High Court in this regard. The Vigilance Wing of the GAD had sent 24 cases to the Public Works Department for departmental enquiries during the period between 2008 and 2012.
Among the officers and officials, whose present place of posting has been concealed by the department, are those facing charges of large-scale corruption in the conduct of surveys in Rajouri district; causing loss of Rs one crore to the State exchequer; amassing assets disproportionate to the known sources of income; double drawls against non-existing works; use of substandard material; misappropriation of Government funds; allotment of works on fake turnover certificates; allotment of tenders to blue-eyed persons; drawl of amount against non-existent works etc.
As far as large-scale corruption during survey in PWD Rajouri is concerned, the department has mentioned that it has not received the case while as about the case regarding use of substandard material in Billawar it has not responded to the GAD despite repeated reminders.
Similarly, the Vigilance Wing of the General Administration Department had sent 15 cases to the Revenue Department for departmental enquiries mostly in 2009, 2010 and 2011. However, Action Taken Report has not been submitted even in one case.
The intensity of shielding the officers and officials facing various charges can be gauged from the fact that present place of posting of such employees has not been furnished to the GAD for the obvious reasons. Among such officers are those who were involved in transfer of 1200 kanals of Government land to land grabbers in Kote Bhalwal area of Jammu district; drawl of Rs 10 lakh against non-existing works in Sheikhpora Migrant Colony in Budgam district and illegal mutation of land.
Indicating that practice of shielding corrupt officers and officials is also at its peak in the Housing and Urban Development Department, the data said that present posting of employees facing 11 departmental enquiries has not been revealed to the GAD. These cases were forwarded to the Housing and Urban Development Department during the period between 2008 to 2012.
Those facing charges of allotting prime land at Bahu village to owner of Hotel Taj for Rs 50 lakh; ordering backdoor appointments in Jammu Development Authority; conniving with the land mafia in grabbing land at Lower Roop Nagar; issuing tenders to favourites repeatedly for a single work are among the officers and officials whose posting related information has been concealed by the Housing and Urban Development Department.
The Public Health Engineering and Irrigation and Flood Control Departments have also concealed the posting related information of officers and officials facing 10 departmental enquiries. The charges against the officers facing these enquiries are misappropriation of funds; drawl of payment against fraud and non executed works; misplacement of vital records pertaining to the execution of various works; drawl of Rs 80 lakh against non existing works in Kishtwar and engagement of daily wagers after getting bribe from them.
Similarly, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department has concealed the posting related information of officers facing four departmental enquiries for misappropriation of funds and drawl of fraud bills etc.
The Higher Education Department has broken the record of all these departments by completely omitting the information pertaining to two Principals of the Government Degree Colleges despite the fact that State Vigilance Organization has established charges against them.
The other departments, which have also shielded the officers facing numerous charges, are Technical Education, Forest and Agriculture Production.
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