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| Kupwara solar light scam: Inquiry panel misses deadline to submit report | | |
Early Times Report
Jammu, June 14: Two months have passed after the announcement of an inquiry into the much-publicized Rs 6 crore Kupwara solar light scam but the probe panel has yet to submit its report.
After the detection of the scam, authorities had ordered a high-level inquiry on April 18, 2023, to fix the responsibility on officers responsible for this scandal. Three engineers who were involved in installing solar lights were also attached till the completion of the inquiry.
Sources said the inquiry panel was asked to submit its report within a month’s time to initiate action against those who were involved in swindling government funds.
Notable three engineers including Executive Engineer Electric Division Kulgam, Assistant Engineer, and Junior Engineer were attached.
The Superintendent Engineer Sopore was asked to conduct a departmental inquiry on the basis of the report received from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
As reported earlier, teams of experts of the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) have unearthed a scam in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district as payment to the tune of Rs 6 crore was paid to the contractors without receiving the solar lights. It was alleged that payment was paid for the installation of solar lights in the Kupwara district but during inspections by the sleuths of ACB did not find these lights.
Reports said that before the end of the financial year 2022-23, a payment of over Rs 6 crore has released at the end of March this year to contractors on account of the installation of 3,600 solar lights in three Sub Divisions of the Electric Division Kupwara.
During the inspection teams of the ACB have not found even a single unit installed in the border district.
Reports said that the ACB constituted special investigation teams to conduct ground verification after getting complaints that payments were made without the installation of solar lights.
It was alleged in the complaint that the officers of Electric Division Kupwara had managed to get the payment worth Rs 6.5 crore in favour of the contractors on account of the installation of 3,600 solar lights despite the fact that the work had not been executed.
After receiving the complaint, ACB constituted two special teams, each headed by an officer of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), for inspection of the claimed works on the ground. Both teams on the 3rd and 4th of April were accompanied by two Executive Magistrates and ACB’s own engineering experts.
According to the report of the inspection, which has gone viral on social media, on perusal and examination of the record and physical verification conducted by ACB, it has been revealed that an amount of Rs 612.26 lakhs has been drawn by the Executive engineer Electric Division Kupwara in March 2023 for procurement of 2685 Units of solar street lights to be installed in Electric Division Kupwara. |
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