*Inquiries being deliberately delayed; SVC becomes party
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 27: In a major set-back to the Government’s endeavor to remove ‘most corrupt State’ tag, the State Vigilance Organization (SVO) is making all out efforts to shield senior bureaucrats involved in many major scams by scuttling the enquiries pending against them during the past many years.
The intensity of the protecting the high-profile corrupt public servants can be gauged from the fact that even their names are not reflected in the half yearly reports of the highest anti-graft body being presented in the State Legislature while as names of small fries are being prominently displayed in such publications.
The more shocking aspect is that the State Vigilance Commission, which otherwise is required to ensure that all the corruption related cases reach the logical conclusion that too within the shortest possible time, has also become party to the illegalities being committed by certain senior officers of the State Vigilance Organization. Instead of scuttling the nefarious designs of highest anti-graft body of the State, the Commission is reportedly extending all help in ensuring that all the high profile bureaucrats go scot free.
Insiders in the State Vigilance Organization told EXCELSIOR that any bureaucrat, who manages to influence the officers of the Organization or able to exert pressure from certain influential quarters, is being absolved by the State Vigilance Organization right under the nose of the State Vigilance Commission. “If the SVO finds it difficult to absolve the corrupt bureaucrats, hurdles are created in the enquiries in such a manner that the cases don’t reach the logical conclusion for years together and the corrupt bureaucrats continue to enjoy the prime postings, which, otherwise, has been viewed very seriously even by the State High Court”, sources added.
Quoting some instances, sources said that in the year 2010 the State Vigilance Organization unearthed scam of purchase of 4000 metric tonnes of TMT bars by the Store Procurement Department on highly exorbitant rates and booked several officers. After five years long investigation, the SVO presented closure report in the court of Special Judge Anti-corruption in the month of August this year mainly because the accused officers managed to prevail upon the SVO officers.
However, the SVO received rap on its knuckle as the Special Judge Anti-corruption treated the closure report as challan with the observation that some mysterious hands had worked in favour of accused compelling the investigating agency to take a U-turn and file the closure report.
Similarly, a senior bureaucrat presently posted as Administrative Secretary of a Department was found involved in the multi-crore solar lights scam of 2009 but enquiry against him has not been concluded till date because of having close relations with the top officers of the State Vigilance Organization, sources said, adding “this scam was brought to the fore by none else than the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. The officer had procured Rs 12 crore worth solar lights by flouting due procurement process and that even against the decision of the then Minister for Science and Technology”.
Likewise, another senior bureaucrat, who was booked in corruption case, managed to obtain clean chit from the Vigilance Organization and this conduct of the SVO was also viewed very seriously by the Special Anti-corruption court when the closure report was filed in the case. This officer is also heading a department in the Civil Secretariat.
The insiders in the SVO further said that a senior bureaucrat, who was the key accused in the Rajouri Development Authority scam, is maneuvering to get clean chit despite the fact that it was established by the Investigating Officer of the case that during this officer’s tenure as Chief Executive Officer of the Authority different nature of works were executed in blatant violation of the laid down guidelines in order to confer undue benefit upon the contractors.
What to talk of senior bureaucrats, even some officers of the Higher Education Department, who are facing Vigilance enquiries, are leaving no stone unturned to go scot free as they are presently exerting pressure, which can be gauged from the inordinate delay in completion of investigations, sources said while disclosing that these officers abused their official position in order to make purchases.
Several senior engineers who caused huge loss to the State exchequer by extending favouritism, which resulted into stalling of big projects, are presently holding prime positions as they are enjoying the blessings of the SVO and the outcome of the same is prolonging of the enquiries. Even large number of officers, who were booked for having assets disproportionate to their known sources of income, have remained unpunished as enquiries in their cases have not been completed by the State Vigilance Organization either due to pressure from different quarters or for extraneous considerations.
In this way, the State Vigilance Organization and State Vigilance Commission have been causing serious dent to the PDP-BJP Coalition Government’s endeavor to remove most corrupt State tag on J&K. “If the prevailing mess in the SVO is not checked at the earliest people would draw an impression that even the present coalition has become immune to the corruption and doesn’t want to bring accountability and transparency in the system”, sources said.
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