J-K PHE officials booked by Vigilance for corruption

Officials, including former chief engineers, of Jammu and Kashmir Public Health Engineering (PHE) department were today booked by Vigilance Organisation Kashmir (VOK) in two cases under Prevention of Corruption Act for causing a loss of crores of rupees to the state exchequer.
The cases were registered following a preliminary inquiry into the allegations that in 2008-09 and 2009-2010 the PHE department had purchased hundreds of metric tons of substandard alumina ferric grade 2nd from M/S Aqua Alums Khunmoh and other suppliers, putting the exchequer to a loss, a VOK spokesperson said here.
The facts and circumstances have revealed that the officers/officials in connivance with suppliers have put the state exchequer to a loss of Rs 63,09,882, Rs 20,13,950 and Rs 73,19,565, respectively, on three counts-- substandardness, exorbitance and tax added rates-- amounting in total Rs 1,56,43,397, the official said.

Accordingly a case has been registered against G M Dar, the then Chief Engineer PHE, Shafat Ahmad Chasti, the then Superintendent, PHE Mechanical Circle and at present Chief Mechanical Engineer, Muzaffar Ahmad Lankar, the then SE PHE Mechanical Circle and now Chief Engineer UEED J-K Jammu, Abdul Hamid Kumar, the then Chief Accounts Officer in the office of Chief Engineer PHE, K K Trisal, the then Technical Officer to the Chief Engineer and now retired SE, SAP Singh, the then Executive Engineer PHE (MAP) Division Kashmir now Executive PHE Ravi-Tawi Jammu and others, the spokesperson said.
In another case, the VOK said, a preliminary inquiry was conducted into the allegations that in the year 2009-2010, PHE department made purchase of more than 142 metric tons of substandard alumina ferric grade 2nd for an amount of Rs 142,62,910 from M/S Aqua Alums Khunmoh. The payment was released in favour of the supplier by Chief Engineer G R Zarger against his financial deal though his predecessor Chief Engineer, G M Dar, had directed the supplier to lift back the said substandard material.

The facts and circumstances have revealed that the officers/officials in connivance with supplier have put the state exchequer to the loss of Rs 20,74,033 and 12,25,050, respectively, on both counts -- substandard and exorbitance (tax added rates)-- totaling Rs 32,99,083.
Accordingly a case has been registered against Dar, Chasti, Lankar, Kumar, Nazir Ahmad Dar the then Technical Officer to Chief Engineer, V K Lutora, the then Executive Engineer, PHE (M-P) Division Kashmir now SE Jammu and others, the spokesman said.