saahil suhail
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Mar 7: The Kerosene oil dealers from South Kashmir will appear before the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday in Srinagar. The dealers will be questioned in connection with the Kerosene oil scam exposed by Early Times last month.
The ACB has asked Director Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) to ensure the owners of private kerosene oil agencies operating South Kashmir report at ACB Police Station South Kashmir, Old Secretariat Srinagar on 8th of March 2021 (Monday).
"Your requested and informed that direct the owners of private kerosene oil agencies as detailed by your office for collection and distribution of Kerosene oil in South Kashmir districts Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopain to be present at ACB Police Station South Kashmir, Old Secretariat Srinagar on 08th of March 2021 along with the copies of their licenses/ details of trucks/ tankers with their registration certificates and other information," reads an official communiqué, a copy of which Early Times accessed from the office of Director FCS&CA..
A copy of this communication was also forwarded to Assistant Director of Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopain by Deputy Director FCS&CA department Kashmir vide No. DFCS&CAK/S/K.OIL/2021/985054. Important to mention here, the infamous Kerosene oil scam was unearthed by Early Times last month.
After ET's report, the ACB raided multiple locations across South Kashmir to probe the alleged black marketing over 400000 liters of k-oil in the region. The ACB teams seized documents including Kerosene Oil rosters, utilization certificates and details of AAY and PHH families of each district.
The ACB also sought list of those Non Priority Households (NPHH/APL) families who don't have LGP connections besides sought details of monthly Kerosene Oil allotments. The ACB also picked up a copy of SRO 285 from FCS&CA offices in South Kashmir during the raids. As reported earlier, a junior officer has turned whistleblower and disclosed that he was receiving excess supplies of about eighty-five thousand (85,000) liters of Kerosene oil each month.
The officer has written to the Deputy Director (Supplies) Kashmir and sought his directions in dealing with the excess supplies of Kerosene oil he has received. "This office has been issuing PDS K-oil among 71460 NFSA (PHH/AAY) house holders only since years. As per sub-clause 6(2) of the SRO 285 there is a monthly requirement of 2, 14, 380 liters however this office has been provided with 3, 00, 000 (three lakh liters) of K-oil. Therefore, there is surplus/excess allocation of 85620 liters of k-oil to district Pulwama," the Assistant Director FCS&CA Pulwama has written to Deputy Director (Supplies) on 19th of this month. A copy of this communication lies with Early Times.
The Assistant Director FCS&CA Pulwama has requested the Deputy Director (Supplies) Kashmir to withdraw to surplus allocation or issue the 'necessary instructions' for its distribution. According to sub-clause 6(2) of the SRO 285, the FCS&CA department has to distribute 3 liters of kerosene oil to each priority household on subsidized rates.
"All beneficiaries in priority households under NFSA will be provided subsidized kerosene oil at the scale of 3 liters per family per month and the remaining quota of kerosene oil will be equally distributed among NPHH category beneficiaries not having LPG connection," sub-clause 6(2) of the SRO 285 reads. The distribution of surplus Kerosene Oil supply that South Kashmir is provided monthly is currently under scanner. |
