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| Scam unearthed in Rural Development Department | | Police registers case, takes up investigation | |
Rajouri, May 12
Hundreds of residents of village Dehri-Darra in block Manjokote held a protest demonstration on Friday against the rural development authorities alleging that the officials of the department have made large scale corruption in the execution of works of model village Dehri-Darra in block Manjakote of border district Rajouri.
Acting on the large scale complaints of the agitating villagers, Police registered a case in this regard and took up investigation.
Giving details, Senior Superintendent of Police Rajouri, Farooq Ahmed Khan confirmed that he has received at least 15 written complaints from the residents of village Dehri Dharra regarding the money charged by some rural development officials from villagers for model village units being constructed by them." The case is at the initial stage we can not say that how many people are involved in this scandal", said SSP Khan.
The agitating residents alleged that concerned officials have charged 40% of the total cost of the each unit from them in advance saying that the same would be deposited in government treasury as per the guidelines of the scheme. According to them, this amount was charged from them by a concerned Junior Engineer (JE) who executed these works’’. The concerned JE had told us that this amount will be deposited in the government treasury as per the guidelines of the model village scheme. Accepting it as guideline of the scheme, we paid him 40% of the total cost of the each unit in advance. But now we came to know that there was no such guide line in the model village scheme", said one of the agitating villagers Farooq Khan. The Model village Dehri- Darra in block Manjakote of district Rajouri was sanctioned during the financial year 2006-2007. And as per the norms, the Government released Rs 1.20 crore for execution of various individual benefit units comprising toilets, bathrooms, Bridal paths and up gradation of schools. And each beneficiary is given total cost of the unit he constructs near his house, says the guide lines of this scheme.
But here in this model village, the residents alleged that 40% of the total cost of each unit was charged from them by the concerned officials as public contribution in the scheme. Giving details of the money charged from them , Faqir-ullah Khan son of Mohammed Akbar Khan said he has paid Rs7000, Hji Ghulam Hussain s/o Sardar Khan paid Rs 26000, Mohammed Yaqoob s/o Faker Din paid Rs 5000, Nazir Hussain S/o Jalal Din paid Rs 2500, Kala Khan s/o Jalal Din paid Rs 2500, Maqsood Hussain s/o Mohd Bashir paid Rs 2000, Ahmed Khan s/o Mohammed Akbar Khan paid Rs 6000, Manwer Hussain s/o Mohammed Bashir paid Rs 2000, Mohammed Saleem s/o Hussain Khan paid Rs 10,000, Mohammed Aslam s/o Mohammed Bashir paid Rs 2000, Mohammed Ismayel s/o Sardar Khan paid Rs 4400 and Mohd Bashir s/o Rajwali paid Rs 6000. These were the some of the cases who were given the benefit of the scheme and deposited the 40% of the amount with the concerned Junior Engineer then only they were given the work orders for the execution of the units by the rural development authorities. While those who can not afford the said amount in advance have been denied the benefit of the scheme said the agitating villagers. Mohammed Aslam , Mohammed Riaz , Mohammed Wahid and Mohammed Shakoor of the same village alleged that they have not been given any benefit of the scheme as they were not in position to deposit the said amount with the concerned Junior Engineer.
When contacted, Block Development Officer Manjakote said that there was not such provision in the model village scheme where the beneficiaries have any thing to contribute from their pocket "The matter has come to my knowledge only today. I will investigate it", said BDO Ajit Singh. Assistant Commissioner Development Rajouri, Subhash Sharma when contacted also admitted that he has received such complaints from the said model village and a departmental inquiry has already been initiated against one junior engineer against whom the people have leveled corruption charges." There was no provision of charging public contribution from the villagers in the model village scheme. And if any one have done so he will not be spared and strict action would be taken against him", said Assistant Commissioner Development, Subhash Sharma adding that he has directed the concerned JE to return all the money he has charged from the villagers in the name of public contribution.
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