news details |
|
|
| Govt's claims on good governance, transparency, accountability proved a hoax: Harsh | | | Early Times Report
UDHAMPUR, July 21: Accusing the govt of giving vague and nauseating slogans of good governance, transparency and accountability, Harsh Dev Singh, Former Minister and senior AAP leader questioned the non-payment of compensation to the farmers whose lands and structures were acquired for construction of PMGSY roads since 2012 onwards. He said that not only the marginal land holdings of farmers were expropriated for construction of rural roads without paying them any compensation but several structures and residential houses on the alignment of the said roads were also dismantled without compensating the affected persons. He said that the poor farmers were made to shuttle from one office to the other without any relief thereby causing massive uproar in the affected areas, said Singh.
Seeking a probe into the mis-appropriation of funds, Singh divulged that the PMGSY Deptt had deposited compensation for houses and structures in 2012 for majority of the roads as per the reply provided in RTI applications, with the collectors and SDMs. It was however shocking to note that the said payments had not been disbursed further to the affected land/house owners thereby suggesting embezzlement and diversion of the funds meant for rural poor. He said that the bonafide payments having been denied to the eligible persons, the delinquent officers needed to be made accountable and dealt with under law. He said that compensation amount released by PMGSY was reportedly being denied only to earn interest on the said funds thereby making a mockery of all haughty claims of transparency and corruption free dispensation.
Pointing towards another irregularity of grave nature in Power Deptt, Singh said that while the powerful and influential people were being ensured interrupted power supply despite pendency of huge power bills, the poor and indigent marginalized masses were being harassed with inflated billing and resultant power disconnections. He said that hefty bills were being sent to people in rural areas which did not conform to actual units consumed by them as per the meters installed by the Deptt. Shockingly, several people in Chenani, Seuna, Latti and Ghordi Blocks of District Udhampur had been served huge bills which amounted to lakhs of rupees in individual cases despite the fact that they had no power connections at all in their houses. And interestingly majority of them fell in BPL category with the Deptt having failed to provide them electrification facility even after 75 years of the country's independence. And still huge bills followed by notices were being issued to them. He wondered that despite complaints of fictitious power bills having been served upon them by the JPDCL, no action had been taken by the officers concerned to stem the rot. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
