3-Member panel confirms bunglings in J&K Housing Board
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Justice Tashi Rabstan of J&K High Court Jammu Wing on Monday in a significant order directed Senior AAG Seema Khajooria Shekhar appearing for State Vigilance Organisation to file the latest status of the inquiry into Rs 27 crore bunglings in J&K Housing Board by or before the next date of hearing that is July 11, 2016.
Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmad, appearing for the petitioner, drew the attention of the Court to the status report filed by Alok Puri, Inspector General of Police, State Vigilance Organisation wherein he had divulged that the matter of Rs 27 Crore bunglings being under inquiry with the government as such the complaint lodged by the petitioner was referred to the Commissioner/Secretary Housing and Urban development Department with the request to furnish a factual report along with the outcome of the inquiry in light of the allegations made in the complaint.
The IGP SVO further stated that a reminder was also sent to the Housing Department on May 19, 2016 but the factual report is awaited.
Advocate S S Ahmad submitted that the Commissioner/Secretary H&UDD has filed a status report in PIL wherein it is stated that on 22 June, 2016 the Inquiry Committee had finally submitted its report to the Housing and Urban Development Department (H&UDD). Advocate Ahmad produced a copy of the said status report along with the inquiry report in the open court and sought appropriate directions to the SVO to proceed further in the matter. He read out the inquiry report in the open court and submitted that the allegations levelled by the petitioner have been substantiated by the three member inquiry committee, constituted way back on July 14, 2015 by Bipul Pathak the then Commissioner/Secretary H&UDD.
Advocate Ahmad read out Para 15 of the inquiry committee report wherein it has been established that the Board had executed the works beyond its jurisdiction in areas/colonies which are not under its control that is in the colonies which have neither been developed by the Housing Board and nor transferred to the Board by the government for their upkeep/upgradation.
It was concluded that the Board had undertaken the construction of shelters/dwelling units for weaker sections of the society without any approved schemes or approved guidelines.
The list of the beneficiaries of the activity had not been approved by any competent authority and mechanism adopted for selection of beneficiaries could not be known.
The inquiry further established that the works were undertaken without any budgetary provisions thereby depleting the financial reserves of the Board which are meant for the welfare of the employees like salaries, pensions and other benefits to the serving and retired employees of the Board.
Further funds were released to the Engineering sections/Divisions by the Accounts Sections without ensuring that requisite codal formalities were followed by the executing agencies i.e DGMs of the J&K Housing Board and the committee also observed that prescribed guidelines were not exercised at any level during the execution of the works.
The responsibilities/duties associated with the offices of the Managing Director, FA/CAO, DGMs, Technical Officers have not been discharged diligently.
After considering the submissions of Advocate S S Ahmad, Justice Tashi Rabstan observed that since the counsel for the petitioner has submitted that once inquiry report was filed by the committee in the PIL, thus SVO could not sit over the inquiry report. Therefore, the said inquiry report be treated as inquiry report in this matter as well.
Justice Tashi Rabstan, after hearing both the sides and looking into the sensitivity of the issue, directed senior AAG Seema Khajooria Shekhar appearing for State Vigilance Organisation to file the latest status of the inquiry by or before the next date of hearing.
