STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Alleging large scale frauds and irregularities in the implementation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes in the State, Harsh Dev Singh, Chairman JKNPP and former Minister, on Friday urged upon the Central Vigilance Committee constituted by GoI to probe the loot and plunder of funds in PMGSY and MG-NREGA in the State. He said that the GoI had released thousands of crores under the aforesaid flagship programmes for the State in the past for the development of rural areas which however had failed to create any visible impact on the ground.
He said that several schemes though covered and completed in papers were hardly tangible on the ground with the funds sanctioned for the same having been siphoned off by vested interests adding that there were widespread public complaints with regard to the functioning of aforesaid flagship programmes in the State but the authorities concerned had turned a deaf ear to the same for reasons best known to them.
Harsh said that the National Rural Roads Development Agency (NRRDA) had appointed National Quality Monitors (NQMs) and State Quality Monitors (SQMs) which had pointed out glaring irregularities in the construction of PMGSY roads including inferior quality of works but the State Government had failed to take the remedial action or to rectify the wrongs and irregularities committed.
He said that payments had been released by reckless officers in favour of contractors who had not only violated the PMGSY guidelines, compromised on quality and specified parameters but also had abandoned the contracts half way.
He also said that he was in personal knowledge of several roads in respect of which completion certificates and payments had been released to the contractors despite their pathetic conditions and non fitness for plying of traffic.
Singh further said that the most obnoxious aspect of the unwholesome deals in the functioning of Centrally Sponsored Schemes was the repairs of PMGSY roads being effected under MG-NREGA.
He said that several PMGSY roads in Ramnagar Constituency including Dassian-Sail Kori Bair Road, Thalora-Tajur Road, Bindraban-Sulan Road besides others were being repaired under MG-NREGA which is violative of the spirit of both the schemes, but was unheard, and amounted to fiscal violation of the highest order. He said that the role of both PMGSY and MG-NREGA implementing Deptts. being intriguing, a high level probe had been necessitated.
Harsh further lambasted the State Government for its deliberate neglect to appoint ombudsman for regulating the implementation of MG-NREGA scheme and to check the pilferage of rural development and employment guarantee funds under the scheme.
He regretted that functioning of MG-NREGA scheme had been under a storms’s eye in the State due to alleged irregularities and bunglings but the government had failed to appropriately respond to the situation due to vested interests.
