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| Sordid saga of PHE division Samba! | | Fudged figures, fictitious inquiry reports, misappropriation of funds! | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 24: Officers of Samba division of Public Health Engineering (PHE) fudged figures, prepared fictitious inquiry reports, exaggerated loss due to floods, misappropriated funds meant for various schemes and are still holding prize postings.
The officers during their respective periods along with the active support of district administration blatantly misused their official positions and looted state exchequer. A detailed ground report prepared by group of volunteers belonging to Samba division, copy of which is with Early Times, has made these spine chilling revelations.
The report pertains to the purported construction works undertaken to undo damage caused by floods in the year 2003. Volunteers have disclosed that the report prepared by PHE division Samba had stated that on July 17, 2003; 300 meters of 80mm main distribution pipe to village Keni under Bhupnairgarh Water Supply Scheme (BWSS) had got washed away while around 150 meter pipe had got badly damaged.
PHE department had put the loss at round Rs. 2 lakh. Rebutting this part of the report, Volunteers have stated that they found out that the level of flood water had remained at around 450 meters and it is simply out of question that pipes would have got damaged. The team also found out that 50mm main distribution pipe to village Alna which the officers in their report had claimed to have got washed away, was infact found intact when the same was dug out.
The officers had put the loss at around Rs. 1 lakh. However, volunteers found out that water discharge was minimal and as such, there was no possibility of pipes getting damaged with this much of flow. Team has in its report stated that it was shocked to learn that loss due to floods in villages Mohalla Suleman, Village Palai, Nalli Gujjran, Sarian, Dabri, Intake well Chichi mata, Mohra Bhagat Singh and Purani Kali had been excessively exaggerated.
Locals have alleged that floods do damage pipes but they are never replaced. Instead, according to them, the same pipes are repaired and put to use. Team on assessing the records found out hat funds are released almost every year for repair of these pipes but the same has not been done.
It also came to know that of the five hundred PHE workers engaged on daily wage basis in the division, a good number are merely names without any address. Moreover, team also came to know that most of the bonafide workers are paid lesser than the payable amount shown against their names in the list. The team has put the loss through this mechanism at around Rs. 2 to 5 lakh.
Team was astonished to note that certain works which had already been completed on ground were shown as being executed in the year 2003-04. In its report, team noted that works of providing and laying the distribution system to village Kalibari camp and Yogi Asan had been completed under water supply scheme Rakh Amb Tali had been shown completed with cost of Rs. 4.09 during the year 2002-03.
However, surprisingly PHE department in its statement for the year 2003-04 had stated that laying of distribution system in Yogi Asan krandi and Rakh is in progress. Similar, others acts of omission and commission had been committed by the officers incharge of PHE in Samba division during their respective years.
"We brought to the notice of all the concerned officers including Deputy Commissioner Samba but to no avail. No inquiry was ever ordered and not even a single officer was booked," said one of the volunteers while giving the copies of the report to Early Times. He maintained that Chief Minister should personally intervene and order a time bound inquiry. |
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