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| Will Govt spare Ex-Ministers involved in corruption? | | Lack of political will has helped these people go scot-free | | Peerzada Ummer
ET Report
SRINAGAR, July 17: While state government's drive against the corrupt and 'deadwood' officials has been hailed by one and all, people wonder whether action would be taken against several former ministers against whom serious corruption charges stand registered.
There are reports suggesting that at least 10 senior cabinet ministers of the former National Conference-Congress government face charges of corruption or wrongdoings. But the files have been gathering dust in the State Accountability Commission, obviously because of lack of political will to bring these mighty people to justice.
The previous Omar Abdullah regime was marred by scams and graft cases registered against the helmsmen. From Haji Yousuf's mysterious death to involvement of some former ministers in embezzlement of public exchequer, action against the culprits remained a distant dream.
For instance, one of the former ministers from National Conference was accused of constructing a building in the posh Humhama area, in total violation of the Master Plan. The High Court had directed Divisional Commissioner Kashmir to prevent any construction at New Friends Enclave, Humhama, where the minister is coming up with building.
The minister had started raising a huge building on the plots C-5 and C-6. While raising the construction on the land, he allegedly had also encroached on a part of Lane No. 5 located on the front side of the petitioner's land as also on the plantation strip.
From Congress, there were the ministers who were involved in serious graft cases.
Apart from Shabir Khan, former Deputy Chief Minister and senior leader of Congress Tara Chand was accused of swindling funds in the Urban and Local Bodies Department. A massive recruitment racket was reported in Urban Local Bodies in 2011, the flagship department that oversees local governance through municipal bodies.
The department had made over 1,500 illegal appointments, almost double the number of employees, with devastating consequences: funds from local tax collection, devolution funds from the state's revenue and the Centre's developmental grants are now exclusively used to pay salaries.
In 2011, a complainant Saquib Mushtaq of Qamarwari, Srinagar, had named former R&B Minister GM Saroori, Urban and Local Bodies Minister Tara Chand, PHE Minister Taj Mohi-ud-Din, Member Parliament Lal Singh and a former Managing Director of J&K Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) Dileep Thusoo of being involved in land grab and embezzlement of public exchequer.
Senior minister of the Congress Taj Mohi-ud-Din was accused of turning "blind eye to a multi-crore scam" in PHE Division Rajouri according to a complaint. The PHE department under Taj was accused of purchasing substandard pipes above the market price and issuing contracts without proper tendering causing loss to the exchequer to the tune of crores of rupees.
Another senior Congress Minister Sham Lal Sharma was accused of being involved in fake drugs scandal that rocked Kashmir in 2013.
Another senior leader of the Congress and Hajj and Auqaf Minister Peerzada Sayeed was involved in the infamous copying scam and helped his foster son to qualify Class 10 examination by using unfair-means.
Another infamous scam worth over Rs 1000 crore involving Manohar Lal Sharma of the Congress was reported some years ago. Sharma was found involved in a housing cooperative society scam. |
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