Asif Iqbal Naik
Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 5: The Rural Development Department (RDD) employees were questioned by police as they came under scanner for their alleged involvement in burning of Block Development Office Marwah in Kishtwar District on August 3, 2019.
The RDD employees were allegedly involved in embezzlement of millions of funds not only in Marwah block, which could be a reason for blaze but in adjoining Dachhan and Warwan block several crores of public money has allegedly been embezzled by the politicians-RDD officials' nexus.
As per the details available with "Early Times" Kishtwar police during probe find vital clues from locals, who stated that most of the record was kept by the officials in their personal custody and the burning of block office Marwah was an eye wash to hoodwink the authorities with an aim to hide the details from the individuals who had filed different RTI,s before the officials of RDD and were at various stages.
Only service books of the employees could be saved from the burning office of RDD Marwah that has no electricity and external agents according to the sources has been used to burn the office with ulterior motives to bury the corruption worth crores of rupees that took place in the said block, sources said.
Under similar circumstances, BDO office Dachhan followed by BDO Office Kishtwar were also gutted in mysterious fire incident couple of years ago, but the inquiry in both these cases is still under investigation and the culprits believe to be involved behind all this has never been questioned as similar charges of corruption were against the officials posted in these blocks at the time of the said incidents.
"There is no electricity in the area and raises the finger of suspicious towards the employees of the department. Only few days before the fire incident, the team of Anti Corruption Bureau Jammu also visited Marwah to inquire about the mass scale bungling in the block", locals informed.
The BDO office Marwah also functions from Kishtwar and people believed that the burning of BDO office Marwah is symbolic to put the lid on the RTIs reply that can unmask the mass scale corruption in the said block. The people called for high level probe into this mysterious fire incident, beside also demanded to put some of the employees including the successive BDO's against whom there was corruption allegations put to lie detective test .
It is pertinent to mention that like in Warwan and Dachhan blocks where approximately Rs. 27 Crores has been withdrawn as material costs on the name of political activist, relatives of the RDD employees, children's and wives of employees including on the name of newly elected Sarpanchs has been withdrawn in Dachhan block, the massive embezzlement of worth crores of rupees on the name of influential blue eyed persons under MGNREGA has also been withdrawn in block Marwah where approximately Rs. 19 Crores has been withdrawn on the name of around 2-3 dozen people including on the name of children's of the RDD employees.
As per the details available with "Early Times", after uncovering the major scandals in Rural Development Department with regard to misappropriation of CDF by Ex BDO Marwah Raiz Ahmed Lone (Now attached in Director RDD office Jammu), Rs. 19 Crore MGNRGA material cost has been withdrawn in 12 Panchayats of Marwah block.
Out of Rs. 19 Crores, Rs. 3212400 has been withdrawn from Chanjer Panchayat and the release of material on the name of Fareed Ahmed (Rs. 7718641) son of Ghulam Nabi, his brother Ashiq Hussain (832294), Nisar Ahmed (Rs. 876407), Mohammad Abbas Khanday, Mohammad Iqbal Sheikh, Mohammad Yaseen Tak and others.
In Panchayat Teller Rs. 13319480 has been withdrawn as material cost under MGNREGA which include on the names of Ghulam Rasool Malik, Ghulam Hassan Malik, Ghulam Haider Lone, Mohammad Yousaf Sheikh, Nazir Ahmed Malik and others.
In Panchayat Qadrina, (A+B) & Renia (A+B) an amount of Rs. 39543000 has been withdrawn against the name of Firoz Ahmed Malik, Mohammad Ramzan, Nazir Ahmed, Ghulam Ali Malik, Ghulam Mustafa, Altaf Hussain Sheikh, Lal Jamal, Ghulam Ahmed, Abdul Aziz, Abdul Razak, Wali Butt, Ghulam Ahmed, Mohammad Hussain Lone and others.
In Panchayat Dherna (A+B), an amount of Rs. 33765000 has been withdrawn against the name of Mohammad Sultan Wani, Farooq Ahmed Lone, Muzzafer Hussain Lone, Ghulam Ali Lone, Ghulam Rasool, Som Nath, Madan Lal, Fareed Ahmed Sheikh, & others.
In Panchayat Nowapach (A+B), Pathgam and Yourdoo, whopping amount of Rs. 7.11 Crore has been withdrawn against the names of Ghulam Nabi, Raiz Ahmed Butt, Manzoor Ahmed Butt, Zakir Hussain, Javed Ahmed, Nazir Ahmed Lone, Ghulam Rasool, Mohammad Yaseen Tak, Mohammad Hussain Lone, Sajjad Ahmed, Ghulam Qadir and others.
"In order to give benefits to his relatives, friends and business partners and for his self gains, he (BDO) purchased the construction material like cement, steel, tiles, etc from them and for transportation of same, the contractors of blue eyed persons & relatives were engaged" people alleged. |
