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| 5x7=4x7, according to Housing Board engineers! | | Srinagar hospital construction scam | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Oct 5: In a bid to hide a major scam in the construction of a 50-bedded hospital here, the J&K Housing Board played over smart. But in doing so, its engineers failed in the simple multiplication of 5.
Skeletons have started to tumble out of the Housing Board's closet revealing the muck. In the latest, it has come to fore that the engineers evolved a trick to hide the scam wherein officials constructed a 4-floor hospital at Chanapora instead of the prescribed five-storey structure.
Trying to cheat the government and to avoid inquiry on where money meant for construction of one floor had gone, the engineers allegedly drafted a fresh but fake Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the construction of the hospital.
Early Times is in possession of both the original and "fake" reports. As per the original plan the hospital was supposed to be a 5-floor structure. But as the engineers and officials of the Health department allegedly swindled crores of rupees by eating away construction of one full floor of the hospital, only a four storey building was constructed.
Sources said the Executive Engineer of the Housing Board's Division-II, accused of having mastered the mega fraud, prepared the fake DPR whereby it was shown that the building was supposed to be only four floor tall. But in doing so, the fudging left its evidence behind by way of blunder in simple mathematics.
The fraud in figures can be detected even by a primary class student.
As per the building area, each floor was supposed to be 705.5 Sq meters. This way the five-floor building was supposed to have aggregate area of 3,531 sq meters.
But the fake DPR developed to show building was only four floor structure has failed. Officials said even as the total floor area in 4-floors stands at 3000 Sq meter, the DPR shows total area as 3,531 Sq meters.
"How can the product of 705.5x4 and 705.5x5 be same when the actual aggregate of floor area in reality is 3000 Sq Meters? This is ridiculous," said some engineers working in the department.
Sources said the engineers of the Board and some officials of the Health department, which was supposed to monitor the construction, swindled off the money.
Though the officials have been seeking a Vigilance probe into the multicrore fraud, the government has been shielding the accused, particularly the Executive Engineer who enjoys political patronage and is believed to have spent Rs 40 lakh to stop action against him.
"He was attached over this fraud thrice but was instantly reinstated as he spent money in the corridors of power. Will the Housing Minister dare to order and inquiry if he really believes in transparency?" said a group of engineers, adding that "corruption has crossed all limits."
The Housing Board on the other hand has been downplaying the matter.
Despite repeated attempts Deputy Chief Minister who is also the Housing Minister didn't respond to phone calls. |
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