Srinagar, Oct 16: The anti-corruption watchdog State Accountability Commission (SAC) has received a fresh complaint against four state politicians including two sitting ministers and a senior bureaucrat for being “involved in graft.”
The complainant Saquib Mushtaq of Qamarwari has named former R&B Minister, GM Saroori, Urban and Local Bodies Minister, Tara Chand, PHE Minister, Taj Mohi-ud-Din, Member Parliament, Lal Singh and a former Managing Director of Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC), Dileep Thusoo of being involved in land grab and embezzlement of public exchequer.
However, SAC, according to sources, is yet to register a formal case against the accused. As per the procedure in vogue, the Commission first seeks requisite information from the complainant and after holding preliminary investigation, registers the case on “provisional” basis.
“Once the investigation prima facie finds some substance in the complaint then only a final case is registered by the Commission,” sources said. “In this case also the complainant has been asked to fulfill certain requirements before any sort of proceedings are carried forward by SAC,” they said.
The accusations leveled against Saroori are that as former R&B Minister he misused his official position to allot almost 2000 works without tenders, causing huge loss to the state exchequer.
“No proper procedure was adopted by the minister to seek tenders for allotment of the works,” the complaint, a copy of which is lying with Greater Kashmir, mentions.
Saroori lost his R&B portfolio after the surfacing of an impersonation case involving his daughter.
The complaint against Tara Chand mentions that large-scale fake and illegal appointments and promotions took place in the Local Bodies Department under his charge.
“Neither any advertisement was floated for making appointments nor was any care taken of any budgetary support for such appointments,” says the complaint.
It says the “illegal” appointments and promotions were made in violation of Government Order No. 1423-GAD of 2009 dated: 14-10-2009.
“The so-called need-based scheme under which these jobs and promotions were offered is neither backed by any cabinet decision nor any budgetary support,” the complaint said.
The complainant has accused MP Lal Singh of being is in “illegal” possession of 324 kanals and 7 marlas of land in Karandi Khurd, Jammu.
“Out of the 324 kanals and 7 marlas, one S Gurcharan Singh, a non-state subject owns 167 kanals and 15 marlas and another 92 kanals are state land,” the complaint said. “Gurcharan Singh has been declared a non-state subject by the J&K State Subject Commission (vide judgment dated: 08-01-2004) and a criminal case stands registered against him for obtaining PRC fraudulently.”
The complaint mentions that Lal Singh being a public functionary misused his position to obtain unlawful gains for himself causing huge loss to the public exchequer. “Even Vigilance Commission is in know of the case but no proceedings have so far been initiated in the case.”
The complaint accuses the PHE Minister Taj Mohi-ud-Din of turning “blind eye to a multi-crore scam” in PHE Division Rajouri.
“Besides 342 kanals 4 marlas land under khasra No’s 1,2,3, 3 min 33,34 and 36 in Jammu have been encroached upon by the daughters of the minister,” the complaint alleges. “There are allegations against Taj for occupying 22.5 kanals land in Sedow forest in Shopian and later getting the same mutated in his name in the revenue record as proprietary land.”
Thusoo, as the then General Manager JKPCC, has been accused of awarding contracts for construction of Balanced Cantilever Bridge over river Chenab at Pull Doda to JK Constriction Private Ltd in 2006 in violation of rules.
“Neither any tenders were floated for the work nor was any effort made to verify credentials of the contractor,” the complaint mentions.
“Moreover mobilization amount of Rs 2.66 crore was released in favor of the company without any bank guarantee. The State Vigilance Organization registered a case against him (Thusoo) but no sanction was granted to prosecute him.”

Lastupdate on : Tue, 16 Oct 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 16 Oct 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 17 Oct 2012 00:00:00 IST