SHAKEELA ANDRABI
SRINAGAR: Srinagar Municipal Corporation is in limelight once again. This time, not only Deputy Mayor is hurling allegations but Corporators are also in battlefield and alleging that the Mayor has cheated crores in procurement of vehicles. The Deputy Mayor of Srinagar Municipal Corporation said that the corporation has purchased sufficient machinery but lacks manpower to run this machinery due to mismanagement in the corporation. Speaking to reporters, Deputy Mayor, Parvaiz Qadri said, “Last year SMC was lacking the machinery and accordingly same was procured. But now, there is manpower shortage in the corporation. At present, some hoppers are run by people who don’t have commercial licenses, which is a violation of the law.” Qadri continued, “It has also been observed that the new hopper vehicles were not made according to the modifications committed by the department.” The conditions of these vehicles deteriorated since the company said they could manage loads up to 10 quintals. However, vehicles got damaged while taking 6-quintal load. It is important to mention here that there are 73 wards in Srinagar, and the department has planned to keep one snow-clearing machine in every ward to keep inner-links clear of snow.
Meanwhile, Corporators’ Front has written to Director Anti-Corruption Bureau, Jammu & Kashmir (ACB) alleging purchase of vehicles without Executive Committee’s approval. The Corporators alleged that SMC has purchased vehicles to the tune of Rs. 27.33 crore without prior approval of Executive Committee of SMC.
The letter reads “SMC has authorised Chief Engineer, Mechanical Engineering Department Kashmir Srinagar for purchasing of vehicles to the tune of Rs. 27.33 Crores. The administrative approval for the said project has been accorded without the prior approval of the Executive Committee of SMC, which is gross violation of Section 159 clause (C) of Jammu & Kashmir Municipal Corporation Act-2000. Every contract involving an expenditure up to rupees one crore of such higher amount as the Corporation may fix may be made by the Commissioner and contracts exceeding one crore or the higher amount so fixed by the Corporation, may be made by the Executive Committee”. It further read, “It has come to our notice that Mayor (MoS) Srinagar is giving approval to all such projects which are above one crore as Chairman of Executive Committee SMC without the approval of the members of the Committee.”
