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| Clean hands need not hesitate for probe | | | Jamwal Mahadeep Singh
When the outcome of
misappropriation of funds worth Rs 115.68 crores, provided by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to the J&K under Security Related Expenditure (SRE) for carriage of constabulary and hiring of vehicles, by police department, during the Parliamentary and State Assembly elections held in 2014 that rocked in January 2017, were yet to see the light of the day (enquiry entrusted to Crime Branch), another story rocked the public domain of scam in purchase of bullet proof material by police department. Unfair and deceptive purchases have been in notoriety, since the time India obtained Independence. The departments in uniform are not out of the strong fold of this notoriety. It pains much, when such scandals surface in purchase of the material to be used, for the security and safety of our men in uniform, while fighting with the armed militants and terrorists. Similar display on multi crore scam of sub- standard bullet proof vests, headgears, and bullet proof covering of Gypsies, is recent feather, added to the cap of the Jammu and Kashmir Police department, already ranked as fourth most corrupt department in the state by 'State Vigilance Commission'. The Jammu and Kashmir itself ranked as 5th most corrupt state in India and most corrupt in North India in the survey by the Center for Media Studies and India further ranks 81st in 180 countries in global corruption index for 2017. The script writer although once part of the police organization but feels much ashamed of the story much in public domain of a shameful scam of compromising with security and safety of the first fellow in the department, the Jawan, only visible everywhere in uniform. If the story comes out to be an actuality, the whistle blower deserves appreciation otherwise legal proceedings for defaming the department. The Bullet proof scam carried by media in a big way as headlines and as editorials in previous days giving occasion and space to every political party, crying for a high level probe without looking for their faces in clean mirrors and forgetting that they are not much politically relevant in Governor Rule, and more so their indulgence in similar scams. If the reality will not surface it will definitely lower the morale of Jawans engaged in the anti-militancy operations. The security and safety of police personals cannot be compromised. If believed to be a fact, this is very serious issue and apparently some men in uniform are in collusive corruption with agencies supplying the bullet proof material and they deserve no leniency irrespective of their rank and file. When we look for the epicenter of this quake, it is well within the nose range of police chief and just beneath his chair in the Police Headquarters and it is the sufficient reason to ask for a high level enquiry to arrive at conclusive results and to cleanse the distorted image of the police department.
The multi-crore purchases are outcome of exercise and multi layer discussions among very high-ranking teams of the police department and decisions and green signals at different levels of this purchase process. In view of this actuality, ordering an enquiry by vigilance, crime branch or an enquiry at the PHQ itself will be just an eye wash to clear of the dust that has splashed on the face of the department. To clear of the accusations that are not less than 'Cheer Haran' of the police image, the clean hands should not hesitate to recommend at its own to HE Governor to constitute a high level committee headed by sitting judge of the High Court to probe the allegations, as it involves the confidence of lacs of police employees, practically fighting for the sake of their country and state and their life has been thrown before armed militants and terrorists as green fodder by providing them sub-standard bullet proof materials, purchased by compromising and selling the blood of police men working on ground zero. This is a great dent to many talks of welfare schemes for the Police Jawans. How one can expect any welfare? If one's life carry no meaning to the authorities at the helm of affairs.
There are lip murmurs in public domain that whenever any case of misappropriation of even few thousands comes to the notice of agencies, dealing with corruption laws, (sister concern of police department) they behave like hoisting its flag on Everest and when the matter is reported from their parent stock, they behave like three monkeys of Mahatma Gandhi by keeping their hands on mouth, eyes, and ear. The investigative reporting by media in local news paper has raised volley of questions and brought at home suspicion on purchase committee and survey committee. Both these are the pillars to stand the test of quality purchasing and any compromise on the laid down standards are definitely one of the reasons leading to the purchase of sub-standard procurement. Some of the procedural lapse also leads to such sub-standard purchases such as: Selecting a supplier is one of the most important decisions in the purchasing process. Purchase orders are placed with suppliers with whom the user has a friendly relationship. The purchase orders not complete and have not passed legal scrutiny, and a clear description of the product or supply requirements may be missing. At the stage of delivery, the delivered product does not meet quality requirements, and very huge consignment cannot be put to full survey and random test required to be brushed away in purchases pertaining to safety products. The most important aspect that affects the purchases is retention of sub-ordinate officers on seats directly related with procurement process by succeeding authorities at the helm of affairs and this is frequent story in departments and police cannot be isolated of this aspect. As reported in the matter two aspects are involved, one purchase of sub-standard bullet proof material below standards bullet proofing of vehicles and other exorbitant rates and both fall within the purview of misuse of official position to confer undue benefit upon other and himself thereby leading to loss of state exchequer. This is sort of collusive corruption where both parties are benefitted.
The more serious impeachment of genuine concern finding space in print media is the planting of news in the media by PHQ, that the militants have got steel bullets that can pierce the bullet proof vests and bullet proofing of the vehicles to justify the sub-standard. The allegation lowers the authenticity of PHQ's information delivery mechanism. Such serious allegations cannot be brushed away softly but remaining silent on the issue on both sides by the PHQ as well as by the Governing authority in the state. We should learn a lesson from army, when the space was occupied by multi crore purchase of ordnance stores in Northern Command in 2007 and 'Court of Inquiry' was even ordered on procedural lapses. I believe 'Clean hands need not hesitate for probe'. Conclude with the words of 'Eddie Izzard', an English writer and political activist. "Cats have a scam going - you buy the food, they eat the food, they go away; that's the deal". |
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