| Charge-sheeted BDOs roam free, some elevated as top babus | | Misappropriation of SGRY funds | | Avinash Azad
Early Times Report
Jammu, June 13: Charge-sheeted for misappropriation of funds under Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY-I&II) after an enquiry by the then Assistant Commissioner Development (ACD), Udhampur, nearly a dozen Block Development Officers (BDOs) of erstwhile Jammu district are roaming free, even as some of them got promoted in a very dubious manner. According to sources, in a major scandal in 2003, the Rural Development Panchyati Raj (RD&PR) Department in 2003 got a bonus from Union government for utilizing 100 percent funds before the end of financial year. "Apart misleading the GoI, the field staff, BDOs in entire state like their past practice made payments by end of May 2013", sources said and added that however, the then government woke-up in year 2005 and alongwith Executive Engineer, REW Jammu, 11 BDOs were charge-sheeted.
"An enquiry ordered by government in 2003, the then ACD Udhampur, corroborated allegations against BDOs and found that the funds shown utilized by end of 2003 in a report sent on Union Government were actually siphoned off. The department kept releasing payment by end of May 2003", sources said.
The enquiry report submitted to government by the enquiry officer revealed that the BDOs bypassed District Development Commissioner (DDC) Jammu and the technical staff as well. "Various works executed with approval from DDC Jammu and technical approval from Rural Engineer Wing (REW) RDD Jammu", the EO mentioned in report quoted date of execution of works from DDC and REW. Paradoxically, keeping aside the charge-sheet, the department/government promoted the tainted officers. "The passage of time, people forgot the scandal, on the basis of bogus APRs and NoC, these BDOs inducted into Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) and some of them reached to post of additional secretary even beyond", they added. |
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