6 Irrigation Dept officials, contractor chargesheeted

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 20

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) today filed a charge-sheet against seven persons, including the then executive engineer and assistant executive engineer of the Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department, before the Anti-Corruption Court, Baramulla, in a case involving alleged embezzlement and misappropriation of a large amount of government money.

The charge-sheet was produced by the ACB before the court of Special Judge, Anti-Corruption, Baramulla, in the case FIR No. 20/2014 which was registered at the police station Vigilance Organisation Kashmir (renamed ACB) under Sections 5(1) (c)(d) read with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 2006 and Section 120-B of the RPC against the six employees of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Handwara division, and also the beneficiary contractor.

The officials who have been named in the charge-sheet include Mohammad Sarwar Dar, the then executive engineer, Irrigation and Flood Control Division, Handwara, Khazir Mohd Khanday, the then AEE, I&FC Division, Handwara, Gh Mohi-ud-din Peer, the then JE, I&FC Division, Handwara, Abdul Aziz Kumar, the then Head Draftsman I&FC Division Handwara, Akhtar Mohi-ud-din Baba and Irfan Ahmad Bhat, both of whom were then draftsman in the I&FC division, Handwara. Besides Nazir Ahmad Mir, the beneficiary contractor has also been named in the charge-sheet.

The FIR in the matter was registered after the outcome of the verification conducted into the allegations that the officials of the Irrigation and Flood Control Division Handwara in connivance with contractors, had embezzled/misappropriated huge amount of government money in the year 2008-09 & 2009-10 during the execution of various works.

During the course of the inquiry by the ACB, it came to fore that the work “increasing capacity by way of deepening and widening of Dharamwari storage tank” was allotted to one Nazir Ahmad Mir at an allotted cost of Rs 18.265 lakh.

The work was extended which inflated the allotted cost to Rs 19.949 lakh. During inspection, measurements were found to be lesser than the recorded and paid ones. The overall measurement of shortage was found 55 m, the ACB said in the charge-sheet.

Embezzlement during execution of works

The FIR in the matter was registered after the outcome of the verification conducted into the allegations that the officials of the Irrigation and Flood Control, Handwara Division, in connivance with contractors, had embezzled/misappropriated huge amount of government money in the year 2008-09 & 2009-10 during the execution of various works.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.