news details |
|
|
| Former official of JK Legislative Council under ACB scanner | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 16: A former senior official, of the now abolished Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council, has come under the scanner of Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) for alleged embezzlement of funds to the tune of over Rs. 1.50 crore meant for various works, for which the Bureau has sought several details from the General Administrative Department (GAD) to conclude the subject verification.
According to the communiqué forwarded by the ACB to the Commissioner/Secretary to the Government GAD vide order number ACB/Veri-SLKB-48/2019/6400 dated 19/3/2021, the ACB has maintained that the Bureau had initiated the subject verification on the basis of a complaint therein alleging embezzlement/misappropriation of funds on renovation/repairs of meeting hall as well as purchase of library books in Legislative Council in the year 2017.
“The erstwhile record of the Legislative Council is presently lying with the Law department for the conclusion of verification, the ACB has sought some documents for the conclusion of subject verification”, it reads.
Out of the documents sought by the ACB, one is the detail of Prime Minister Relief Funds. The document reads, “What was the approved usage of the PM Relief fund of 2014, how much amount from the fund has been spent on the renovation/repair of the meeting hall of the Legislative Complex in 2017? Please provide rules under which the disaster fund has been utilized for renovations and repairs after a lapse of 3 years of having received the relief fund”, it reads.
The allegation against the senior official of LC was that the official got the meeting hall of Legislative Complex renovated by spending Rs. 1.50 crore out of PM Relief Fund without obtaining required technical certificates/approvals from the competent authorities, which was in violation of the laid down procedure. “The renovation was executed by the official directly through SICOP bypassing the Estates Department monitoring the whole Legislative Complex. Needless to mention that the actual cost of LEDs installed in the hall be verified to find out huge difference of the billed amount”, the complaint reads.
The ACB has also sought details as to why the work was carried out by the SICOP directly and not through the Estates Department. It has also demanded, “The criteria/procedure of re-engagement of employees in the Council after the employee’s retirement. How many officers were reengaged in 2017 and 2018. Whether the reengagement was in accordance with the rules in vogue during the time?”, it reads.
The complainant has alleged that a particular officer was re-engaged by the official under question, for accounts related works. “From the day of his retirement, the Additional Secretary Accounts was reengaged from the day of his retirement that is 31/3/2017, entrusting him all the account related issues unethically, which he dealt with before his retirement under a mutual understanding. Another official was re-engaged by the officer in the month of June 2018 for his personal motives.
The reengaged officers continued despite objections conveyed by the government. Apart from the drawls made in favour of the then senior official huge undue TA/DA drawls viz Rs. 1.92 Lakhs and 96 thousands stand also drawn by the same retired officer in his favour in addition to the other such drawls. Both the retirees were being paid Rs. 25,000 per month as remuneration”, it reads.
The ACB has also sought to know whether the purchase of library books in Legislative Council in the year 2016/2017 has been done through NIT or not. If done through NIT provide all the documents such as expert committee report, CDR, comparative statements of suppliers. It was alleged in the complaint that huge drawls were made by the senior official on account of Library books purchase in the year 2016/17 without obtaining approval of Library Committee viz-a-viz Technical Advice from the experts of the field which too establish misuse of powers and position by the officer just to avail monetary benefits, which also need to be probed into.
The ACB has also sought clarifications with regard to the filing of the vacancies in the Council viz clerks and orderlies, special emphasis to the point why these posts were not referred to Service Selection Recruitment Board (SSRB) for recruitment. How many vacancies among these have been filled so far without the procedure of such recruitments?
It was alleged in the complaint that more than 25 vacancies of clerks/orderlies in the Council were to be filled up shortly by the Council Secretariat authorities in consultation with the Chairman Council Secretariat. “In the year 2013, the Legislative Council formulated Draft Recruitment Rules 2013 for the Council and applied the same draft rules without approval of the competent authority just to fill up some 10 vacancies of high/low rank in the Council, adjusting his favourites/relative on the basis of give and take. The same rules were later withdrawn by the same officer on the direction of the then Chairman and also the same draft rules were rejected by the Ex-Chief Minister and the same decision was conveyed to Council Secretariat authorities to desist from doing such activities in future’, it reads.
As per communiqué forwarded by the ACB it has been maintained that the matter be taken up with the Law Department for furnishing of the documents to the office at an earliest for conclusion of the verification on merits.
Sources alleged that the same officer had also played an active role in the extraordinary promotions given to a blue-eyed official, who had risen up from a simple Reporter in the Legislative Council to become an officer equivalent to an IAS officer but without qualifying any exam. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
