Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Apr 7: While State Government is unable to provide salaries to the employees of various departments in time, it spent a whopping amount of nearly Rs 56.89 crore on the comforts of the ministers and bureaucrats, including renovation, repairs and furnishing of their bungalows whereas, nearly Rs 750 lakh is outstanding as rent against these bureaucrats including IAS and IPS besides some Ministers.
This information was provided by the Government in a written reply to the un-starred question of the Congress legislator, Ravinder Sharma in the Upper House of the Legislature. The member sought the detail from the Minister incharge Estates Department (Chief Minister), regarding the public funds spent on the repair, renovation and furnishing of the bungalows of the Ministers and bureaucrats including top IAS and IPS officers in the J&K State in just last three years.
The Congress member also sought the details of the private houses allotted to these people and rent being provided by the Government for each house/ bungalow occupied, the Government officials/ retirees and other political activists occupying Government accommodation unauthorizedly and the outstandings (rent etc) against these `Babus’ and Ministers.
The officials figures from Estates Department revealed that a total Rs 5688.91 lakh was spent in Jammu and Srinagar on the repair/ renovation and furnishing of the bungalows/ houses of the Ministers in last three years. Out of this total amount spent, Rs 1519.06 lakh was spent on just furnishing of their bungalows.
The data further indicated that during 2012-13 up to January 2013, the Estates Department spent Rs 1127.35 lakh on repair and renovation while Rs 109.08 lakh in furnishing of bungalows in Srinagar. The rent outstandings against the bureaucrats/ Ministers for their accommodation in Srinagar is Rs 524. 65 lakh whereas, in Jammu it is around Rs 225.13 lakh. The amount spent on the renovation and repairs in Jammu in last three three years is to the tune of Rs 1203.43 lakh whereas on account of furnishing of Kothis/ houses it is Rs 961.16 lakh. In Srinagar, the public funds utilized on the comforts of Babus and Ministers is to the tune of Rs 2976.42 lakh during this period whereas on furnishing of bungalows an amount of Rs 557.90 lakh was spent.
There are 56 bungalows in Srinagar and 62 in Jammu allotted to these VIPs besides 3137 residential units in Jammu and 1247 in Srinagar. Many private buildings have been acquired by the Government to accommodate many officers and legislators. On private buildings, hardly Rs 27 lakh has shown spent in last two years. The data further revealed that nearly 26 persons were unauthorisedly occupying the Government accommodation.
It also provided the list of the VIPs including officers and legislators, former legislators/ Ministers against whom rent the outstandings were pending.
The figures revealed that as on March 31, 2013, Rs 68,600 was outstanding ( pvt houses) against MLC Vijay Bakaya, Rs 28900 against SSP Sheikh Mehmood, Rs 31000 against Prof Chaman Lal Gupta MLA, Rs 33600 against Congress leader Farooq Ahmed Andrabi, Rs 31350 against MLA Rafiq Hussain Khan, Rs 47600 against SSP Uttam Chand, Rs 68,100 against MLA Aijaz Jan, Rs 35200 against Murtaza Ahmed Khan, Hamid Sheikh CE PMGSY Rs 28600, Muzaffar Iqbal Qureshi Judge 29300, Gul Rafiqqi Ex-MLA Rs 68700, Rs 58300 against Ali Mohd Koka, Rs 22500 Ex-minister Ghulam Hassan Khan, Rs 58800 against Ex-MLA A R Badana, Rs 10,500 against Shant Manu IAS, M Raju IFA 11,050, Abdul Gaffar Sofi Rs 25500, legislator B A Magray Rs 50550, Saugat Buswas Rs 35275, V S Senthil IFS Rs 37400, Naveen Kumar ISF Rs 24650, Pandurang Pole IAS Rs 19550, Ex-Dy Speaker Gh Hyder Rs 34800, Ali Raja Director Tribal Affairs Rs 22950, Yasha Mudgal Rs 17,000, Vikat Kumar IPS Rs 39100, Capt Himanshu (CA) Rs 34000 while, Vijay Sambyal IPS Rs 28900. Many other officer and legislators and ex-legislators figured in the list whose outstandings were below Rs 15,000. The list of unauthorized occupants indicated that majority of them were either class IV, PSOs of political activists besides some lower ranking retired officers.
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