news details |
|
|
| RDD withdraws lacs against non- existent development works in snow bound areas | | | Asif Iqbal Naik
Early Times Report
Kishtwar, Jan 16: In a glaring example of open loot and corruption in Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, the officials in Kishtwar's remote Warwan block have withdrawn payments worth several lacs against the works shown executed during the period when the entire Marwah and Warwan valley was under the thick cover of snow and remained cut off from the rest of the state.
As per the details available with ET, an amount of Rs. 499490.8 on account of material cost in the name of a job card holder was released without his knowledge and he came to know about the same only after locals informed him about the same. Sources said that in a well planned manner the employees of the RDD department targeted illiterate people and withdrew huge amount in their names as material cost.
A resident of Kuzaz, Panchayat Afti in Warwan Block of Kishtwar District alleged that an amount of around Rs. 5 lacs was withdrawn by the officials of RDD Department on his name during the year 2015-16-17 for five different works while another Rs.25.50 lacs were withdrawn against the names of other job card holders during the same year.
As per the documents available with ET, amounts of Rs. 70542.4, Rs. 58399.3, Rs.174549.2, Rs.113600 & Rs.82399.9 have been withdrawn on his name and surprisingly four works have been shown done during the period when entire Marwah and Warwan valley was under the heavy snow cover.
As per the documents out of 22, 13 works were executed in between 15-1-2017 to 15-03-2017 during snowy season while remaining works have been shown executed during month of August and May 2016.
In another surprising move, an amount of 6.40 lacs was spent on purchase of 12000 plants, planted during the period 20-3-2016 and May 2016, the season which is not ripe for the plantation, particularly the months of March and April.
Against voucher No. 553 Dated 18-2-2017, 8000 plants were shown purchased at the cost of Rs. 240 lacs from Bhat Nursery Qaimoh under plantation in land of job card holders in Panchayat Afti under convergence with Horticulture Department, similarly another 4000 plants were shown purchased from Abdul Gani son of Wahab Wani for which an amount of Rs. 4 lacs were released vide Voucher No. 544 dated 1-04-2016 and surprisingly during the said period all the roads leading to the village remains closed due to heavy snowfall at Margan top connecting Warwan block with rest of the state via Anantnag District of Kashmir, the only road link to the area.
Similarly the remodeling of Kool at village Mingli was done at an estimated cost of Rs. 70544 during snowy season and the amount has been withdrawn as carriage charges vide voucher No. 566. Similarly RR Stone (Granite), Stone Aggregated, R R Stone other then Granite B , stones were shown purchased on the name of different people.
The local people informed that this is the tip off iceberg among the several scandals that took place in the area under MGNREGA and called for independent probe into the material purchased in Marwah, Warwan and Dachhan blocks of Kishtwar District during last five years.
The people inform that one of the Technical Assistants whose appointment was through backdoor, swindled huge amount and purchased moveable and immoveable properties including a house in Jammu worth around 48 lacs and called upon the Governor's administration to order the probe into this regard. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
