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| Water crisis in Kishtwar trigger demands for probe into PHE embezzlements | | | Asif Iqbal Naik
Early Times Report
Kishtwar, Jan 5:A month after the Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar ordered an in depth enquiry into the non functioning of water lift supply Schemes that catered around 50% population of the Kishtwar town and its peripheral areas to be conducted by ADDC nothing was done so far either by the administration to overcome the crisis.
As per the details available with Early Times, during the summer the crisis of drinking water in Kishtwar town and in Mandal area gets worse due to increasing demand of water supply for which people held either protest or filed complaints with administration, but this time the problem seems to much bigger as the people are continuously put to suffer in winter as well.
"It seems that the officers/officials at the helm of affairs are not performing their legitimate duties well and it is only because of their grave negligence the lifts are not functioning properly" the order issued by DC Kishtwar last year reads added that it comes to fore during the inspection that the employees of the department are not performing their duties.
Almost all the areas of Kishtwar town and its peripheral areas spread over the radius of 5-8 KM are daily complaining about water crisis and there was heavy rush of people around the springs to fetch drinking water where people had to wait for hours to get their turn for the same.
Though Government has spent hundreds of crores on various water supply schemes in Kishtwar District to overcome the water crises as majority of the local water sources dried up due to digging of 390 MW Dool-Hasti Power project, but majority of them were only in papers and despite repeated complaints to concern authorities, nothing was done as people believe involvement of corruption from top to bottom.
After the imposition of the President’s rule, people are pinning hope that governor Satya Pal Malik will order a special audit and inquiry into the utilization of funds not only by Hydrulic Division Kishtwar, but also in adjoining Doda District since last 10-15 years.
Early Times though its various reports highlighted the embezzlements in PHE Hydraulic Division Kishtwar with regards to multi crore carriage scandal, misappropriation in utilization of funds and non executing of several works on ground.
It is pertinent to mention that in an open loot and misuse of government exchequer in the hydraulic division Kishtwar, Early Times highlighted how Hydrulic Division Kishtwar had spent Rs. 1.85 Crore on the name of repair/augmentation of HRT lift water supply scheme while Rs. 315183 were spent on the name of permanent restoration of Gravity Main of Naigard , Lalha WaterSupply Kishtwar town and WSS Palmar, but despite spending such huge amount on the said water supply scheme within few years of its commission has raised several doubts on the utilization of these funds as Kishtwar town and its vicinity is continuously facing the water crises on daily bases.
As per the official documents available with "Early Times", out of allotted budget of Rs. 4.47 lacs under Demand No. 23-PHE, H.O.D-01-CE PHE Jammu, Group Head -0011 (State Sector Capex Budget), Sub Head -1002 PHE department Jammu, the Hydraulic Division Kishtwar spent Rs.315183 as progress expenditure for permanent restoration of Gravity Main of Naigard , Lalha Water Supply Kishtwar town and WSS Palmar.
Similarly under same head the Hydraulic Division Kishtwar spent Rs. 99 lacs on account of augmentation of 3 stage lift water Supply scheme for abandoned HRT of Dul Hasti Project of Kishtwar Town for the session ending 3/2017 and another Rs. 86.07 lacs were also spent on the same during the same period and thus total an amount of Rs. 1.85 Crore were spent on the prestigious water supply scheme last year. Beside this an amount worth lacs of rupees had been withdrawn on account of tanker services which itself is a mass scale nexus in the department wherein the officer concern has diverted the water tax collection money for the payments made to private tanker owners.
After unearthing the spending of Rs. 1.85 Crore on repairing of 3 stage water lifting scheme in Kishtwar by the hydraulic division Kishtwar without yielding any fruitful results, the Early Times also get the access to more documents pertains to spending of funds worth lacs of rupees on the restoration and maintenance of the various water supply schemes in Kishtwar District.
As per the official documents available with "Early Times" Hydraulic Division Kishtwar spends whopping Rs. 139.168 lacs on various water supply schemes, mostly falling in Kishtwar constituency.
The documents reveals that Rs. 11 lacs were spent on 6 water supply schemes during the year ending March 2017 under MH 4215-NRDWP viz WSS Sazar (1 lac), WSS Kishtwar Town (2 lacs), WSS Janglwar Deldan Nallah (1.5 lacs), WSS Jangalwar Kuttan Nallah (2 lacs), WSS Cheera Thatri (2.5 lacs) and WSS Bhagna (2 lacs) and all the funds were utilized under civil labor quota.
Similarly Rs. 49.685 lacs were spend on 14 different water supply schemes under similar head viz WSS Kadail (3.146 lacs), WSS Chicha Dachhan (2.606 lacs), WSS Gulabgarh (3.213 Lacs) , WSS Palmar (4.016 Lacs), WSS Dool (3.410 lacs), WSS Mandal (5.910 lacs), WSS Dachla Damji (4.910 lacs), WSS Massu Garh (3.213 lacs), WSS Atholi (4.016 lacs), WSS Mawar Palmar (4.213 lacs), WSS Brounses Zernan (2.410 lacs), WSS hari Malhar-II (2.803 lacs), WSS Kharnar Trigam (3.213 lacs) and WSS Lovemargi Tunder (2.606) which include Rs. 34.585 lacs under Civil Labour component and Rs. 15.100 lacs under PHE Mechanical Procurement Division Material head.
Similarly Rs. 78.483 lacs were spent on another 11 Water Supply Schemes which were transferred from LIC to NRDWP viz WSS Kulna Cheerji (2.606 lacs), WSS Kholcharas (11.643 lacs), WSS Tayalan (1.606 lacs), WSS Satarwagan Palmar (11.230 lacs), WSS Hamindran (12.359 lacs), WSS Hudri (1.303 lacs), WSS Shalimar (1.303 lacs), WSS Kulna G/Basti (11.184 lacs), WSS Cheeri Bhawani (10.974 lacs), WSS kulandrawn ( 1 lac) and WSS Shiyas (11.974 lacs) which include 47.392 lacs under Civil Labour component and Rs. 31.091 lacs under PHE Mechanical Procurement Division Material head. The money shown utilized against some schemes were shown during the period when these areas of Kishtwar District remain under heavy snow cover. |
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