Akshay Azad
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Aug 18: The construction/repairs of roads in rural and far flung areas are golden goose for contractors and Public Works Department (PWD) officials, who have allegedly been fraudulently withdrawing huge amount of money against the roads, which only exist on papers.
If villagers of Gool are to be believed, one such example is two kilometers road from Tragwal Morh to Salballa in tehsil Gool of district Ramban, against which the PWD department as per the reply furnished in response to an RTI application, released an amount of Rs. 12,56,523 against various works including slip clearance/full restoration of road damaged due to rainfall, surface dressing, reconstruction of damaged B/Wall/Drain, P/L of 75 mm thick WBM. The villagers of Gool are claiming that there was no such road constructed, as mentioned in reply of RTI application.
Talking to Early Times, Sarpanch of Gool Mohammad Salim Malik said, "The Tragwal Morh - Salwalla road exists only in papers. He further said that it might be the case that some other road was shown as Tragwal to Salballa road, but there was no road from Tragwal Morh to Salballa constructed by department, which was sanctioned years back.
But contesting the claims, Junior Engineer PWD, Gool Bilal Wani claimed that he had personally visited the road connecting Tragwal Morh to Salwalla.
Moreover, in response to the RTI application, the Executive Engineer office Ramban, had also divulged that it released Rs. 65,79,539 for various works executed on road Gool Gundi to Dharam Tatapani. The RTI applicant Mohamamd Shafi, who had also filed a case before State Vigilance Organization (SVO) claimed that the said road was constructed nearly a decade back, but has been shown to have been constructed and was also shown as completed, but on ground it was incomplete.
RTI applicant claimed that an amount of Rs. 78,36,062 was drawn Fraudulently within six months time. "It also shows that how the concerned engineering staff in connivance with the contractors have drawn this huge amount without any supervision or check from the superiors", he claimed.
Sarpanch Mohammad Salim Malik said that these two cases were only just tip of an iceberg but in actual sense, majority of works done in papers by PWD authorities, in far flung areas, were nonexistent on ground but money was drawn by contractors in connivance with officials of PWD.
Executive Engineer of PWD, Ramban, Amar Singh Katoch claimed that Tragwal Morh to Salballa road was constructed under NABARD and he had personally visited the road several times.
He also claimed that the Gool Gundi-Daram Tatapani road was also being constructed under NABARD and an amount of nearly one Crore was released.
The higher authorities and district administration of Ramban, need to take cognizance of matter to bring forth the truth. |
