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| In SMC, tainted officials call the shots | | |
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Dec 21: Srinagar Municipal Corporation is all out to belie claims of the Government to root out corruption in the State, as some retired officials with "tainted service record" have started playing touts to get various works done through "backdoor".
These retired officials offer hassle-free services for construction of illegal shopping complexes, flats or houses in lieu of a few lakhs. They are accused of having grabbed millions to prevent scores of illegal shopping complexes in Srinagar from getting sealed for not having parking lots.
Two such retired officials, who had been under scanner before the Crime Branch and other investigation agencies, are now-a-days often seen doing the rounds of the SMC main office at Karan Nagar.
The duo enjoys free access into the chambers of senior officials while the concerned staff which regulates the entry of visitors has been asked to allow them in at will.
The duo, as per insiders, is seen sitting in the cozy office chambers for hours together during daytime while in the evening they are seen dining together at leading restaurants and hotels here.
"One of the two retirees, a former union leader of SMC, in 2010 was accused in a scam worth millions wherein GP fund of poor sweepers was fraudulently grabbed by a group of corrupt officials," said a senior official in know of the matter, adding that the case stands registered.
This accused even after retirement had been so infamous for frauds, that the then SMC Commissioner Sheikh Mushtaq had got his entry into SMC office banned. "It has been after five years that this fraudster is again welcome," the sources said.
The other official, who was head of enforcement wing during his service tenure, was under the scanner for having amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.
The two faces were exposed recently when the High Court ordered sealing of 47 shopping complexes in Srinagar for not having maintained proper parking space in the basement. While merely two dozen shopping complexes were sealed, others were spared.
Sources said the duo played vital role in persuading the SMC not to seal the shopping complexes in Munawarabad and other localities. "The two shopping complexes at Munawarabad do not have proper parking and have come up with symbolic facility where driving of car is too difficult. But the two malls were spared as they paid kickbacks through the tout duo," the complainants said.
The duo had played vital role in getting names of some of the illegal shopping complexes dropped from the list of illegal malls, including the one near the Budshah Bridge where each shop is being sold for Rs one to two crores. "Basically, the SMC officials want to play safe so instead of directly taking commission, they have kept touts as mediators," said some officials, pleading anonomity.
But a senior official in the SMC denied the allegations of corruption or that the duo was working as touts. "They have long time affiliation with this office. What if they visit the office or are seen going around with our staff?" he asked, adding "We live in a close-knit society."
"We saw him (one of the retired officials) accompanying the enforcement officers, who were visiting the buildings which were supposed to be sealed and feel that mischief was being played," said a delegation of traders whose shops have been sealed. |
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