| 5 years on, CFC building Kartholi awaits completion | | Allotted funds exhausted, 40 percent works pending | |  Avinash Azad
Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 3: A Community Facility Center (CFC) building at Kartholi in Samba district has been awaiting completion since November 2015.
According to the details available with Early Times the work on the building commenced in November 2015, but allotted funds exhausted years back, as on date 40 percent works of the building are pending.
Sources informed that despite spending more than Rs 55 lakh the CFC building at Kartholi, district Samba is still at slab level, without doors and windows and allied works due to alleged embezzlement.
“The CFC building Karholi, was sanctioned during 2015-16 with estimated cost of Rs. 46.45 lakh under 13th FC and the then Minister for RD&PR Abdul Haq Khan and Chander Prakash Ganga the then Minister of Industries and Commerce department, laid foundation stone 10th November 2015”, sources said, adding that accordingly, the then Director RDD Jammu accorded administrative approval and released full plan provision of Rs 46.45 lakh for the works vide order No. 10-DRDJ of 2016 dated 21-01-2016 under 13th FC.”
“Later, the estimate of CFC Kartholi was revised from 46.45 lakh to Rs. 96.63 lakh and the contract was allotted to a local contractor without tenders and without administrative approval of DDC Samba”, sources claimed and added that cost of Rs. 44.99 lakh was revised without technical sanction.
They further said that in violation of the Supreme Court of India ban for the encroachment of ponds (water bodies), the CFC building was constructed in the pond.
“Due to embezzlements the building at Karthol is still held up at slab level for more than five years. The matter was taken up with DDC Samba and Director RDD Jammu even with the Secretary to Govt RD&PR to provide additional funds of Rs. 44.99 lakh funds for the completion of balance work, but the same was denied, as it was ‘illegal’ and unjustifiable”, they said.
Sources said that it is a fit case to be probed by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) or Crime Branch.
Executive Engineer, REW Samba Mulkh Raj when contacted said that the works were pending prior to his joining as XEn. “The works started long back, earlier it was a 45x30 size building, but the concerned Minister during his visit enhanced the size, around double of the proposed building. Remaining funds for the building were to be provided out of the concerned MLA’s CDF, same could not happen, so the several works of the building are pending”, he added. |
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