Corruption mess

SVO investigating corruption cases against 151 officers in J&K

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Mar 16: One the side where the government making every possible efforts to make the state there are still corrupt inside the administration with which the state is under the trap of corruption.

At many instances it is shows that there are different officers posted on higher position in administration indulged in some corruption by one mean or the others.

As per the official records there are 151 corruption cases presently under investigation with State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) against retired as well as serving officials. And the Accountability Commission does not possess the jurisdiction to receive complaints against the officials in view of the amendment made to the J&K Accountability Act, 2002 vide amendment Act-II of 2011.

The number of officials involved in the corruption charges includes from Anganwari workers  up to Divisional Commissioner, in which more of them are directors, Chief Engineers, Managing Directors, Divisional Managers and a long list of senior Rural development, revenue , Industries, Education, Horticulture, health and police department officers.

The charges against the officials involvements of misuse of official position to red handed arrests while accepting bribe, illegal appointments, purchase of things on high rates, besides various cases.

There are about half a dozen Directors against whom cases are pending, the latest in the series is than director CA&PD Jammu Hemant Kumar and Joint Director CA&PD Kashmir, Muhammad Ashraf Wani, who was caught red handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 10, 000  on the complaint of an aggrieved person.

A case registered in July 2010 against than Director CA&PD Kashmir Abdul Majid Mir and Joint Director CA&PD Kashmir Abdul Hamid in alleged misappropriation of food grains is also pending with VO.

The records also show pending cases against as many as four chief engineers, two Superintendent engineers, besides five Managing Directors, three Divisional Managers and four general Mangers  of various corporations.

State Vigilance Organisation has also registered a case against Mubarak Singh, the than Municipal Commissioner, Jammu and others for illegally granting a building permission.