In first seven months of this year the Anti-Corruption Bureau has registered 35 First Information Reports (FIRs) against officials and businessmen for their alleged involvement in corrupt practices.
The cases in which FIRs have been lodged range from highprofile case involving former Chairman of J&K Bank to trapping officials,red-handed taking bribe.
The ACB registered FIR No. 14/2019- ACBSGR against ParvezAhmad then chairman J&K Bank on thecharges of “misusing his official position.”
Similarly in another high profile case involving thebusiness group of incumbent Deputy Mayor of Srinagar Municipal Corporation, theACB registered a FIR No. 3/2019 for “illegal appropriation of subsidy withinflated project cost for establishing CA storage at Lassipora, Pulwama.”
The ACB spokesman had said that during inquiry, it also cameto light that the Kehwa Group has six more business units and Imran has raisedvaried loan facilities /overdrafts for these units. “Matter is underinvestigation,” he had said.
Another case was registered against Director ISM and othersofficers/officials of ISM for misuse of official position 15/2019-ACBJ.
The cases of corruption range from officials involving former Managing Directors, Directors,Executive Engineers, BDOs, CMOs, senior town planners and lower rung officialsin J&K.
The ACB has also booked Divisional Manager of State ForestCorporation (SFC) Udhampur in a graft case. A case has also been registeredagainst former directors of Rural Development Department Jammu for allegedlymisusing their official position and causing loss to state exchequer.
A case has also been registered against former AssistantCommissioner Development, Rajouri on corruption charges.
A senior ACB official said, “In most cases, investigation isin final stage. Governor’s Administration has entrusted the ACB with the job ofwiping out corrupt elements from the system. For this we have also soughtpublic help. People should report incidents of corruption to the ACB.”
Asked about the progress of high profile case of J&KBank, an official informed that “so far two FIRs have been registered and allthe angles are being looked into before filing a fool-proof charge sheet inorder to take this case to its logical conclusion.”
It may be recalled that the ACB was constituted last yearafter the Jammu and Kashmir Governor ledState Administrative Council gave powers to the bureau “to tackle and eradicatecorruption in the state in a more effective and meaningful manner”.
The Governor has been reiterating that “Anti-CorruptionBureau won’t spare anyone including politicians.”
Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam had earlier stated thatthe ACB was created to overcome shortcomings and do away with the multiplicityof roles in the existing anti-corruption mechanism in the state.