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| ULB officials loot exchequer with impunity | | | Javaid Naikoo
Early Times Report
Srinagar, June 26: With no answerability in place, urban local Bodies officials' loot state exchequer with impunity as funds meant for purchase and maintenance of dumping sites were used to buy vehicles to earn free money.
As people from different parts of Kashmir more often protest against ULB authorities for dumping waste in populated areas, early times accessed documents of minutes of a meeting of ULB officials showing crores of rupees approved for buying and maintenance of dumping sites drained to buy Vehicles from a company to earn free money.
The details reveal that successive Directors at ULB since 2012 receive funds to the tune of crores of rupees from Central government under "solid waste management programme " to tackle thousands of tons of waste coming out from 41 Municipal Councils and Committees of Kashmir sans dumping sites.
The funds sanctioned under this programme details reveal are merely meant for maintenance and purchase of Dumping sites to dispose waste as per modern health advisory standards issued to maintain cleanliness.
However instead buying dumping sites and spending money for maintenance of prevailing dumping sites, ULB directorate in a fresh case of mismanagement spent Rs 2.27 crores to buy luxurious vehicles for executive officers and replaced old waste lifters with new ones in few municipal committees
The Vehicles according to sources were bought from one Company based outside state without any prior advertisement for buying vehicles and equipments.
In another example of lawlessness ULB officials drained RS 1.50 crores to buy substandard street lights for Municipal Councils and Committees based in Rural areas of Kashmir.
It does not stop here as ULB officials at times of lack of funds sanctioned from central government drain 'salary grant in aid' money of lower rank employees of the department to buy luxurious vehicles for top brass officials.
In one fresh case of its kind a huge amount of Rs 23 crore,75 lakhs collected in three months were spent to buy vehicles and street lights from two noted companies as per a pre-planned manner to earn free money.
Sources disclosed that forged bills are created to balance income and expenditures of the department to evade all sorts of doubts. The issue has been discussed many times in meetings held between top brass officials and their subordinates, however after assurances process of loot resumes with impunity. Lower rank officials of the department expressing helplessness said that amid autonomous nature of ULB department higher ups of the department possess powers to suspend and terminate any employee of this department as per his wish. Sources disclosed that a chain of corrupt officials placed across Kashmir who are close associates of each other are involved in this scam and they use all means to make safer passage for themselves in times of trouble. Repeated attempts failed to contact Minister of state for Housing and Urban local bodies, Asiya Naqash for her comments on the issue. |
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