Vigilance raids Lakes and Waterways office

Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 14

Vigilance Organisation Kashmir officials today raided the office of the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) here and seized documents.

The raid was a part of the ongoing investigation into the “criminal misconduct” by LAWDA officials.

The Vigilance Organisation Kashmir had yesterday registered a case under FIR No. 48/2015 u/s 5(1) (d) r/w 5(2) of the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act and section 109, 120-B, 188 RPC against officials of Lakes and Waterways Development Authority.

An official of the Vigilance Organisation said a six-member team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police raided the LAWDA office and seized documents pertaining to the case. “We have seized the records pertaining to the case,” Senior Superintendent of Police Mohammad Syed Punoo told The Tribune.

The officer said the investigators would scrutinise the records and accordingly proceed with the probe. No detentions have been made in the case so far.

A case was registered against LAWDA officials following the October 28 order of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

The court had observed that various constructions had been illegally raised in the prohibited areas — without permission, in violation of permission, in violation of the Master Plan and in violation of the court orders — which was indicative of the fact that the Enforcement Wing of the LAWDA was acting in collusion with the law breakers and facilitating illegal constructions.

The Vigilance Organisation said the illegal constructions included double-storey structures on the banks of the Nigeen Lake and at Dachigam by the Directorate Indian System of Medicine.

The High Court, in September, had termed the Vigilance commissioner’s report on the Dal Lake conservation as indicative of “the sorry state of affairs” on part of the police and the LAWDA officials.

In its report submitted to the High Court on September 21, the Court Vigilance Commissioner had stated that “enforcement wing of the LAWDA has either remained docile and dormant as for as encroachments on the Dal Lake are concerned or appear to be in league with the violators”.