Vigilance’s ‘ineffective’ trap against CAPD since 2010 ;18 FIRs, Dirs, Asst Dirs among 50 booked; no arrest

 vivek sharma
JAMMU: Although over 18 FIRs were registered against CAPD staffers in the past seven years, involving over 50 officers/officials, for allegedly embezzling crores of rupees yet not a single arrest was made to probe the misappropriation of ration meant for the Below Poverty Line people residing in far flung areas of Doda, Ramban, Udhampur, Reasi and twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch.
Besides misappropriation of ration items, transportation and carriage charges were also drawn.
In most of the 18 FIRs registered since 2010 till date, there are proved cases wherein, in records, it has been shown that 500 quintal ration has been supplied to certain areas for instance Sunghi Chasanaa area where the particular village requires only 50 quintal ration per month as per the population, sources informed adding that the ration is sold in the open markets while the carriage bills are drawn.
The contractors are paid thirty per cent of the bills and seventy per cent swindled by the CAPD officers. This is what the Vigilance sleuths probing the scam have ascertained during the scrutiny of the records.
According to an FIR 10/2011, in the year 2009-2010, the transportation of food grains in the District Ramban was allowed to the existing contractors at the higher rates due to which a loss to the tune of Rs 25, 67, 106 to the State exchequer.
During the verification, it was ascertained that more than 100 truckloads entered in the records were found to be fictitious. In CAPD records, these numbers show that the BPL ration was transported through trucks whereas the RTO records show these registration numbers are of scooters, motorcycles and Maruti cars. Here it is pertinent to mention that Tehsil Supply Officer (TSO) of the CAPD department posted at Katra managed to flee during a police raid on 27th Nov, 2010, while 55 bags of wheat meant for Below Poverty Line (BPL) were seized at Nagrota.
Even the then Director CAPD had issued a controversial order in November 2010 for transporting rations to Reasi from Jammu instead of Udhampur stores, notwithstanding the fact that this would have saved considerable amount on account of transportation and other charges.
Reliable sources informed that this controversial order was issued to facilitate black-marketing of rations besides usurping the transportation charges that would have been otherwise incurred on the transportation.
Major portion of the ration after issuance from the CAPD stores is sold in open markets. Jammu being a major market, it is very easy to black market the ration, meant for the supply in far flung areas. Moreover, the carriage expenses from Jammu to Reasi are more than from Udhampur to Reasi thus incurring losses to the state exchequer. On 13th May, 2010, when Hemant