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| Revenue Officials embezzled funds while purchasing computers: VOK Report | | Digitization Of Land Records | | Early Times Report
srinagar, Mar 25: The probe report submitted by the Vigilance Organization Kashmir in the year 2000 had indicted the officials of the Revenue department into the case pertaining to the purchase of computers by the department in 1996-1997 for the computerization of land records.
The probe report in possession of Early Times states: "While making these purchases government funds were embezzled by the officials of the Revenue department."
It said, "This was the outcome of a well thought criminal conspiracy hatched by the public servants and some private business houses resulting in approximate loss of Rs 90. 129 lakhs to the state exchequer."
The probe report states that the examination of the pertinent documents obtained during the enquiry revealed that the "public servants have not been fair and faithful to the government while making these purchases," the report states.
"Topsy turvying and short circuiting of established procedure found during the scrutiny of relevant documents is a manifestation of the personal interests and not safeguarding the interests of the state," the report added.
It states that the Government of India released an amount of Rs 286 lakhs from 1989-90 to 1999-2000 for computerization of land records to Jammu and Kashmir. "Out of this amount of Rs 169.02 lakhs was shown incurred on the purchase and the installation of comput r hardware and software by the Revenue authorities. The remaining amount of Rs 116.98 lakhs was spent on the construction and improvement of computer rooms plus some accessories leaving behind an amount of Rs 24/25 lakhs balance," the report states.
It may be recalled that Early Times on Sunday had reported that son of a separatist had bagged the project worth Rs 2 crore to digitize the land records in mid-nineties.
"The Revenue officials without inviting any global tenders had given the contract to the company of the son of the separatist. All the norms were flouted to appease the separatist," sources said.
After the scam came to fore the then J&K government ordered a Vigilance probe into the matter. "Soon after GoI came to know that the son of the separatist, close to Pakistan, had compiled the land records questions were raised. The biggest question was from where did he acquire the software? And why did the Revenue department handpick the son of the separatist for the project?"
They said, "The Hurriyat lobby at that point of time was so strong that it got the probe scuttled and the questions which were raised at that point of time are still unanswered. But many people believe that land records of entire J&K are in possession of Pakistan and the software used for the compilation of these records was pirated from the neighbouring country as the records were compiled in Urdu language." |
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