Early Times Report
JAMMU, June 21: Alleged attempts are being made to hush up a Rs 2.44 Cr 'scam' in the Estates department as even after four years of its detection, the authorities concerned are yet to initiate action against the guilty.
The alleged misappropriation was discovered after Kamal Kishore Gupta replaced Yash Paul Sharma as storekeeper of furniture store, Gandhi Nagar, in December 2012. During the verification of stock registers, Gupta had allegedly found the shortage of store items worth Rs 2.44 cr.
The deputy director estates, Manda, had on January 29, 2015 written a letter No DDE/J/2465-67 to Gupta, SKP, furniture store, Gandhi Nagar, and ex-SKP Yashpaul Sharma (senior assistant, estates division, Jammu) as regards the shortage of items.
The letter reads as: "As you are aware that principal accountant general, J&K, has deputed a team headed by senior audit officer N N Gupta for audit review of the Estate department of the past five years. It was seen in the audit by the audit party that after Kamal Kishore Gupta was posted as storekeeper of furniture store, Gandhi Nagar, in place of Yashpaul Sharma in December 2012, the handing over and taking over of the store record has revealed that the store items as reflected in the book of the store were not found on ground. The newly posted storekeeper had verified the store items actually lying on ground. As a result, the store items found short were worked out by the audit party to the tune of Rs 2.44 Cr. In this connection, you are directed to sit together and sort out the actual position before the matter is referred to the higher authorities for necessary action under rules. The detailed report is required to be furnished to this office within four days from this date, failing which action as warranted under rule shall be initiated against the erring officials." A copy of this letter was also sent to the director estates.
Following no reply from them, the deputy director wrote a second letter No DDE/J/2600-02 to them on February 6, 2015. This letter said: "Refer to the January 29, 2015 letter of this office in which you were directed to submit the information within four days positively but till date no information has been received by this office. You are finally directed to submit the information within two days, failing which the matter will be referred to the direction office. Treat this as final notice." A copy of this letter was also sent to the director estates.
If official sources are to be believed, the deputy director was yet to receive the reply to his two letters from them.
The alleged misappropriation was also reflected in the annual audit report of the office of accountant general.
After completing audit of the store, the senior auditor wrote a letter No GS/J-6/2014-15/Review/HM/35 to the accountant general (audit), J&K, under the subject - Inefficient and ineffective store management - physical verification of stores never conducted - shortage of store items of Rs 2.44 Cr.
The letter says: "As per rule, physical verification of store items needs to be conducted at the end of each financial year to ascertain excess of shortage of items, if any. Records, however, showed that physical verification of the store items had never been conducted by the department. As a result, the actual ground balance of store items had never been reconciled with the balance book of store items. As a result, the balances of store items found short were not carried forward in stock registers. The department had not taken action to ascertain actual shortage of items by conducting physical verification of stores even after a lapse of more than two years of their detection despite the fact that the store officer had taken up the matter with deputy director estates in October 2013 and March 2014. The detailed check of 40 major items of stores revealed that there was a huge shortage of stores in respect of these items whose value was put at Rs 2.44 cr on the basis of 2010-11 rates. Lack of internal control system, such as annual physical verification of stores, had created loopholes in the effective management of stores and consequently led to suspected misappropriation of store items worth Rs 2.44 cr. It was seen in the audit that stock registers had never been authenticated under the signatures of either deputy director estates, Jammu, or assistant accounts officer. Action in the matter had not been taken up as of December 2014. Also, the actual value of the material found short had not been worked out by the department. Non-taking of any action in the matter despite a lapse of more than two years may be justified to audit."
Efforts were being made to hush up the matter as the authorities concerned wanted to save the guilty, sources alleged, saying that the department had not bothered to even initiate a probe to dig into the alleged misappropriation. |
