JAMMU: Reacting to the booking of four senior most engineers including a Retd Chief Engineer, two SEs and one executive Engineer by the State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) yesterday, Harsh Dev Singh, JKNPP Chairman and former Minister, said that though there could be no compromise on corruption which was required to be curbed with a heavy hand, the over reaction of the state controlled vigilante organisations on motivated complaints was unfortunate.
He said that it was well known that vested interests and notorious elements were indulging in large scale blackmail in the recent past and using the vigilante organisations by filing frivolous complaints for sub-serving their personal motives and pecuniary interests.
He said that several officers had even complained of their harassment at the hands of such mischievous characters who were blackmailing them and indulging in extortionist tendencies. He was addressing a press conference here on Thursday.
While hailing all anti corruption campaigns, Singh said that in investigating the case with respect to the aforesaid four senior most engineers, the SVO must also probe the role of vested interests and extraneous factors in influencing the proceedings. He said that it was necessary in view of spotless careers of the said engineers and two of the SEs being due for promotion as Chief Engineers who would be deprived of the promotional benefits. He said that conspiracy angle could not be ruled out in the facts and circumstances of the case and in view of wide spread concern and indignation amongst engineers fraternity as a whole which needed due attention of the authorities concerned. He said that booking of the corrupt must invite universal public applause but in the present case, the engineering class as a whole had expressed its disapproval which surely put a question mark over the veracity of the complaint and thus needed thorough investigation in the interest of justice and fair play. Accusing the State Government agencies of selective condemnation of officers in the name of corruption, Singh questioned the SVO as to how many works had been completed within the tendered amount without the approvals having been given for the excess amount in various government departments.
Seeking a probe into the role of the ministers and MLAs in the approvals for works given by the officers without tenders, Singh said that until noose was tightened around corrupt politicians, the malaise could not be remedied.
Gagan Pratap General Secretary Young Panthers and Parshotam Parihar State Secretary PTU were also present during the press conference.