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| Agriculture Deptt inaugurates same high-tech green houses again and again | | Millions of rupees go down the drain as no officer ready to provide certificate of quality | | Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Mar 7: The Kitchen Garden of the Department of Agriculture at Lal Mandi here has come up as a hub of ‘corruption’ even though none of the officers of the department are ready to give a certificate of quality of the high-tech green houses set up at this place.
Sources told Early Times that the quality of eight high-tech green houses at the Kitchen Garden is not up to the mark and it is due to this reason that certificate of quality with respect to these green houses has not been wetted by the officers of the department. As a result a huge amount has gone down the drain.
“Ideally the Seed Production Officer (SPO) should have issued the certificate but that is not the case. The SPO has been bye-passed by an official who is non-gazetted and was appointed as a simple gardener in the department. The Kitchen Garden and the matters related to it are being looked after by this non-gazetted official with the SPO relegated to the back bench,” said sources.
Sources said the high-tech green houses have been inaugurated not once, but many times by the bureaucrats as well as other higher ups of the government as well as the department. They said huge money is spent on the visit of these high profile dignitaries with the basic mandate of the Kitchen Garden going for a toss.
“The incumbent Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production department along with a former Commissioner Secretary and an advisor to the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated the high-tech green houses on separate occasions. Huge money was spent on the inaugural functions although nobody is ready to certify quality of the green houses,” said sources.
Sources said the in-charge of Kitchen Garden has been in the news in the past as well since he was involved in embezzlement of funds while being posted at Chadoora in Budgam district. Although an enquiry was ordered in the matter, the official along with some other officials who are gazetted officers now managed to run away without facing any action whatsoever.
“The worst part of the whole issue was that instead of punitive action the officials including the present in-charge of Kitchen Garden were given plum postings. The SPO, in-charge of Kitchen Garden and a clerk are having a great time of their life since they are posted at the Kitchen Garden while continuing to amass huge wealth,” said sources.
Sources said that an amount of one crore has gone down the drain as a high-tech greenhouse comes up at a cost of Rs 10 lakh adding that since eight high-tech green houses have come up the total cost on this account is Rs 80 lakh. They said that along with this huge amount was spent on the inaugural functions from time to time.
Sources said that the former Director of the department was very much keen to invite bureaucrats and other high profile personalities time and again even though there was no need for the same. They said the incumbent head of the department is following in the footsteps of his predecessor and in this whole matter the SPO, in-charge Kitchen Garden and the clerk are making merry. |
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