| SFC's 3 top officers land in VO net | | For Leh's cloud burst victims, they bought imported timber at higher rates | |
Early Times Report
Jammu, May 4: Vigilance Organisation (VO), Kashmir, has booked three top ranking officers of the state forest corporation (SFC), including then managing director, general manager and finance director, for purchasing imported timber at unreasonably high rates for the flood and cloud burst victims of Leh. VO sources said then MD Abdul Qayoom Khan, GM (T&M) J Frankoi, finance director Subash Chander Sharma and proprietors of M/s Green Gold Timber Pvt Ltd, Padana, Kutch, in Gujarat and M/s Abdul Gani Kichloo and Sons, Harnag in Anantnag, Kashmir, were booked in a corruption case under section 5(1)d read with 5(2) of P C Act and section 120-B of RPC. "The VO verification into the allegations of procurement of foreign timber for rehabilitation of flood and cloud burst victims of Leh has revealed that during October-November 2010 , the SFC officers in connivance with the suppliers hatched a conspiracy by procuring 92,000 cft of imported timber -- Pinus, Sylvestris and Picea-abies -- for distribution among the flood and cloud burst victims of Leh at highly exorbitant rates of Rs 950 per cft for Sylvestris and Rs 840 per cft for Picea-abies as compared to the market rates of Rs 800 and 690 per cft respectively from the timber firms. The rates were also higher than the rates approved by LAHDC and the rates fixed by CAPD assistant director, Leh," the sources added. The SFC officers were alleged to have procured the timber in violation of set norms, thereby causing a wrongful loss of Rs 95,51,479 to the state exchequer and a gain to the supplier firms. The VO has registered a case against them and further investigation in the case was in progress. |
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