Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 18: Special Judge Anticorruption, Jammu, Kartar Singh has accepted the closure report filed by the State Vigilance Organization in the flood lights scam in Police Construction Division after the General Administration Department ordered departmental action instead of launching prosecution against the public servants involved in the scam.
According to the Vigilance case, on the basis of reliable information regarding the execution of electrification works, installation of flood lights by the then XEn Police Construction Division on highly exorbitant rates in Jammu Province during the year 2005-06 and 2006-07, random check of electrification works taken up for execution in DPO Border, SP Border / SP CID CI Jammu, P/S Bari Brahmana, DPL, Jammu and Armed Police Complex Channi Himmat was conducted.
During the checking it came to fore that during September-October 2005, a criminal conspiracy was hatched by Abdul Hamid Sheikh, the then XEn and other officers of PCD with private persons namely Neeraj Mangotra, son of Om Prakash of Talab Tillo and Sheikh Javaid, son of Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa of Pirmitha, Jammu and others to obtain undue pecuniary gains in the process of execution of electrification works.
In furtherance of criminal conspiracy, the accused XEn in league with other officers / officials of PCD while adopting pick and choose method, without inducing competition and ascertaining the reasonability of rates, got the works of providing and fixing of flood lights and other allied electrification works executed through the private persons on highly exorbitant rates in various installations of Police Departments in Jammu province.
On comparison, the rates of various electrical items vis-à-vis their prevailing market rates were found highly exorbitant. As against the booked expenditure of Rs 36,15,370 on account of electrification works in the places where random check was carried out, the expenditure as per prevailing market rates on these works should not have exceeded Rs 24.68 lakh. As such, excess drawal of about Rs 11.47 lakh was made by the accused.
The Vigilance Organization investigated the case and found the allegations proved against accused persons. The case was sent to Government for accord of sanction for prosecution of accused public servants involved in the case on January 8, 2010. However, GAD vide communication dated April 15, 2010 intimated that competent authority has ordered departmental action instead of launching prosecution against the accused public servant and the case was ordered to be closed.
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