Shakeel A Khan
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, June 22: The government seems to be helpless in curbing the menace of corruption which is growing stronger with each passing day.
Willingly or unwillingly the authorities are helping the cause of the 'tainted' officers. As per the sources, mass irregularities have surfaced in the Sopore division of Irrigation and Flood Control department; where in the Executive Engineer has made undue use of office.
The officer has allotted the contracts through work orders instead of tenders, said the sources.
As per the sources, after the devastating flood of the September last year, the Central Government provided the Irrigation and Flood Control Department with crores of rupees for the repairs and cleanliness of the water bodies.
But as per the sources, the financial assistance was 'misused' and instead of being used for the public works, went into the pockets officials of the department and the contractors as a result of the nexus between the two.
As per the sources, the Sopore division of Flood Control and Irrigation department allotted many contracts on work orders in a single day. Work order no. 3631 for a contract of Rs. 3,31,551, Work Order no. 3633 for a contract of Rs. 7, 24,038, Work order no. 3632 for a contract of Rs. 6,86,012, and work order no. 3634 for a contract of Rs. 4,22,763 were allotted on a single date, 12. 01. 2015 said the sources.
Work order no. 3820 for a contract of Rs. 4,52,754 was allotted on Jan. 24, 2015 while throwing all the norms to the wind by the concerned Executive Engineer, said the sources. The officer preferred his personal interests over that of the people, said the sources.
As per the sources, the Irrigation and Flood Control Sopore division has a different take on the issue saying that it issued the work orders as per instructions passed on to it by that time Minister and the District development Commissioner, which the division says was the need of the hour too. Sources said that the civil society of the North Kashmir informed the Chief Engineer Irrigation and Flood Control about the about the bungling in the Sopore division.
As per the sources, the Chief Engineer has assured the civil society of North Kashmir that a committee will be formed to look into the wrongdoings of the people who are at the helm of the affairs.
The Chief Engineer has assured that the record of the office will be checked and the guilty will not be spared, said the sources. |
