S Tahir-ul Haq
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Feb 12: The inquiry report into the alleged charges of misappropriation, irregularities in financial transaction, gross negligence and misconduct is still pending from past several months in the ULBK.
Sources said that four Executive Officers of Urban Local Bodies Kashmir (ULBK) were suspended and attached with the direction office in July 2019 for alleged charges of misappropriation, irregularities in financial transaction, gross negligence and misconduct.
There was a complaint against Executive Officer, Municipal Anantnag, after which the H&UDD issued an order vide no: 153-HUD of 2019 dated 04/07/2019, said sources.
Sources quoting the order said that, on the basis of preliminary enquiry report submitted by committee constituted vide order no: DULB/Estt/84-11/588 OF 2019 issued by the DULBK and pending further inquiry into the alleged charges of misappropriation, irregularities in financial transaction, gross negligence and misconduct, the following officers are hereby place under suspension with immediate effect.
According to the order, the Executive Officers that were posted in Municipal Council Anantnag were placed under suspension are Sarfaraz Ahmad Bhat, I/C Executive Officer, MC Ganderbal (formerly I/C Executive Officer MC Aanantnag), Shabir Ahmad Wani, I/C Chief Executive Officer, MC Pahalgam (formerly I/C Chief Executive Officer MC Anantnag), Syed Nayeem Rizvi, EO Municipal Committee Bandipora (formerly Executive Officer MC Anantnag) and Gh Mohi-ud-din Malik, Executive Officer MC Anantnag, and they were attached in the office of the DULBK.
Sources alleged that, even though the H&UDD had handed over the cases of these four officers to the Director Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), Srinagar, vide no: HUD/LSG/ULBK/298/2018 dated 5/7/2019, for detailed investigations in all the four cases listed in the communication.
After sending the cases to ACB Srinagar, the H&UDD had issued another order vide no: 221-HUD of 2019 dated 25/10/2019, adding the sanction is hereby accorded to the appointment of Riyaz Ahmad Wani, Director ULBK, as an inquiry officer to conduct an enquiry into the alleged charges of misappropriation, irregularities in financial transaction, gross negligence and misconduct by the following officers, said sources while mentioning the order.
Despite passing of seven months, the enquiry was not completed yet. One fails to understand that why the pending cases including of these four EOs is not handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), for further investigations, sources said.
Sources said that, due to unknown reasons, the enquiry team is delaying into the enquiry process and by the time the new cases are being reported with each passing day and with the result the earlier enquiries are remaining pending for months and years together in the DULBK office.
“Since 2011, there was huge embezzlement of funds and misappropriations in the department concerned that were exposed from time to time, and there are reports that there are dozens of cases that are still pending and no action whatsoever was taken against them,” sources informed early Times. |
