Asif Iqbal Naik
Early Times Report
Kishtwar, Sept 7: In a significant development regarding checking corruption in the Rural Development Department Kishtwar, Prem Nath Koul, the Ombudsman MGNREGA Kishtwar and Doda, took cognizance of a report carried by the Early Times" on September 5 highlighting corruption in the office of Assistant Commissioner Development Kishtwar.
Koul
has sought details from ACD Kishtwar, Assistant Director Planning posted in the office of ACD Kishtwar, Executive Engineer Rural Engineering Wing of RDD, all the 13 Block Development Officers of Kishtwar to submit report pertaining to their respective blocks within a week.
As per the details available with Early Times, Koul directed ACD Kishtwar to look into the matter personally and take appropriate necessary action in the matter in accordance with the MGNREGA guidelines and state government rules issued from time to time after observing all formalities required under rules. "The detailed point wise report may please be furnished to this office within a week's time enabling this office to proceed further in the matter accordingly after observing all formalities required under rules," reads the letter from the Ombudsman.
There was also reports of massive embezzlement on account of money withdrawn by the ACD office Kishtwar during the year 2016-17 and 2017-18 on account of administrative charges which runs in crores. It is pertinent to mention that the corruption in the RDD in the state of J&K is nothing new and many employees working in the department, particularly the employees associated with centrally sponsored scheme MGNREGA, have turned millionaires overnight. Though various complaints were lodged against many of these employees indulging in corruption, till date no guilty official was punished due to faulty system and involvement of corruption at highest level itself.
The Early Times had highlighted the nexus at highest level in Kishtwar, wherein the office of the ACD Kishtwar has become a den of corruption, and exposed how corruption from ground level employees such as GRS, Technical Assistant, VLWs, MPWs, Es, BDO and others is done in a systematic way. The sources privy to the development told the Early Times that how Assistant Director Planning who is posted in the said office since last over four years has been assigned the duty for upkeeping the track of payments made at block levels by the Block Development Officers and subsequently he calls the officials for handing over his and others share after the payments were made in the respective blocks.
Not only ACD Office gets share but RRDs Engineering wing responsible for technical sanctions of the various works also get due share of commission.
Even after Vigilance registered FIRs against senior RDD Officials in purchase of tree guards, signboards, dustbins, plants, back door appointments but the accused are roaming free.
The information pertains to Block Wise details of plantation in Kishtwar District, Copy of advertisement published in newspapers inviting tenders, details of plants purchased and payments made thereof including the cost of each plant, copy of fitness certificate of the purchased plants by team of experts, details of payments drawn under MGNREGA for plantation of these plants on ground including tree guards used to protect these plants never made public by the officials of the department.
Similar is the case on account of quantity of cement purchased, name of agency from which the cement was purchased, supply Order No. along with date, quantity of cement purchased from open market, agency from which purchased, supply order No. along with date, authorizing authority who authorized to purchase the material from open market, Xerox copies of Stock Register 2014-15, 2015-2016, 2016-17 & 2017-18, details pertains to construction of bridges during the period 2016-17/2017-18 block wise, name of bridge, quantity of steel used, specification of steel used in construction of bridges, agency which supplied the steel, name of committee members who verified the weight and importantly certified copies of certificates furnished by the committee members who verified the weight of steel bridges in each block were also never made public. |
