Early Times Report
Jammu, May 3: The Horticulture department has been paralysed by the posting of junior officers who have allegedly been involved in massive various types of corruption ranging from purchase of poor quality plants to their distribution to the non-deserving farmers, who have no orchards of their own.
Sources in the department informed Early Times that a bunch of officers have been involved in the purchase of poor quality fruit plants after getting huge commission from private suppliers, who have also made monopoly in supplies. "Despite that fact that fruit plants are available in the departmental nurseries but to get commission they purchase the plants", an official said, adding that ignoring the deserving beneficiaries, the plants have been given to those blue-eyed people, who have no orchards.
"These officers have been accepting the illegal dictates of the seniors and also didn't hesitate to release the payments of the assigned components such as plantations, deep bore wells, motor pumps, pipes, power tillers, vermin-composts, packing houses, tubular structures, irrigation units etc under different schemes without their proper completion by the concerned", the officials alleged.
The officials further alleged that motor pumps, pipes, power tillers and tractors were mostly given to those beneficiaries, who have no fruit plants or orchards, in total violation of guidelines. "Huge amount have been spent haphazardly without any concrete planning in the departmental fruit plant nurseries", they alleged.
They further alleged that most of the beneficiaries of the schemes were selectively chosen by the officials and were given benefit without fulfilling the required codal formalities. "Exorbitant bills on the name of organising awareness camps, fruit shows, Kisaan Melas, trainings on cultural operations were released", officials alleged, adding that in the tours of fruit growers laymen, labourers and students were sent by department officials instead of genuine fruit growers and farmers.
The officials alleged that there was total mess in the department and there was no survival of the fruit plants, issued by the department, which could be easily proved by simple investigation. |
