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| Manohar admits financial irregularities in cash-starved | | JKCHC, washes hands off alleged multi-crore scam Takes veiled snipe at political conspirators, if any | | Bharat Bhushan
jammu, May 12: Acknowledging that some sort of "financial irregularities" existed in the hitherto "cash-starved" J&K Cooperative Housing Corporation (JKCHC), cooperative Minister Manohar Lal Sharma today washed his hands off the alleged multi-crore scam, saying "let State Accountability Commission (SAC) hang him if his involvement figures at any stage."
He also declared categorically that any of his future move in "defence", whether it was to move High Court, or "boldly" face the anti-graft body, would only depend on the contents of SAC notice, which he was yet to receive.
Manohar told reporters here that he was ready to face the severest punishment in case it was proved that JKCHC, or any other cooperative society had gifted him a plot anywhere in the State.
"Let SAC hang me if I have got a plot from any cooperative society," he asserted.
He, however, admitted "financial irregularities" in JKCHC and said the final report of a probe, which was ordered by him, had come.
When asked to share the details of the report, he said offhand he was not in a position to provide exact information.
Manohar said he had always tried to operate in a transparent manner. "When the Joint Registrar (audit) delayed probe into the alleged scam, I placed him under suspension to find out why he had done so," he asserted.
However, the probe notwithstanding, the SAC took a serious note of the alleged Rs 5,000 cr scam after a complaint was filed with it by Farooq Ahmad Dar of Kashmir and Sunil Sharma of Jammu, alleging that the Minister had dragged his feet in the matter.
It yesterday slapped notices on Manohar, cooperative commissioner Abdul Hamid Wani and registrar cooperatives Mohammad Abbas in the alleged scam, involving JKCHC, its former managing director Brij Mohan Sharma, serving managing director Bharat Bhushan and cooperatives' assistant registrar Mohammad Shafi Dar.
It was alleged that the Minister had not bothered to act against the three officials, who were neck deep in the multi-crore scam, because he was "bribed and given a piece of land to keep mum".
It was also alleged that despite his involvement in the scam, Dar was reinstated by the registrar cooperative department at the behest of the Minister.
Manohar, however, denied the charges but said he would be able to comment only after "he gets the SAC notice and goes through its contents."
In reply to a question, he said he did not know about the antecedents of the two complainants.
"They may be knowing more about the alleged financial bunglings in JKCHC. I would like to meet them to add to my knowledge," the Minister said.
Asked if it was a political conspiracy to dislodge him by implicating him in the scam as the cabinet reshuffle was also on the cards and some new faces from Congress were likely to be made Ministers, he said it was so, honest and upright people would not join politics. "They cannot survive under such conditions," he opined.
"I have worked with honesty and dedication. I enjoy the image of a neat and clean man," he asserted.
"Some people, including politicians, have a problem with my honest ways of working," he said and added, "My emphasis has always been on delivering quality and maintaining transparency."
Manohar said he was thankful to Congress party for promoting a layman like him and then giving him an opportunity to serve the people by making him a Minister.
He, however, found it hard to digest that JKCHC had bungled Rs 5,000 cr, saying since its inception in 1985, its total turnover was far below this amount. This seemed to be a baseless allegation, he felt.
He refuted the allegations that elections to cooperative societies were held undemocratically and in a biased manner, saying there was no Government interference in this connection at any level.
He also ruled out the possibility of backdoor appointments in the cooperative bank. The figure of 600 in this regard seemed to be untrue as the bank had a total strength of 750 employees only.
In the complaint with SAC, it was also alleged that in Jammu Central Cooperative Bank (JCCB), there was a misappropriation of Rs 259 cr.
The complainants alleged that Arun Bakshi, retired managing director of JCCB, was still interfering in the bank's operations.
While issuing notices to the Minister and the two officials yesterday, SAC chairperson, Justice (retd) YP Nargotra and member, Justice (retd) Hakim Imtiyaz Hussain (rtd) observed that prima-facie it appeared that gross irregularities had been committed by the officers of the corporation and the Minister had failed to exercise effective control over the functioning of the corporation. |
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