J

Srinagar, Dec 5 (UNI) The Jammu and Kashmir Vigilance Organisation today said it has unearthed misappropriation of crores of rupees in the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department.

A vigilance spokesman said the CAPD officials allegedly misappropriated government ration worth more than Rs 15 crore during the past three years.

He said the vigilance sleuths caught red-handed two CAPD officials while accepting bribe.

The spokesman said a case was registered with the vigilance organisation about large-scale bungling and misappropriation of government money by the CAPD officials in league with employees of the Revenue Department in distribution of food grains in Marwah and Wadwan blocks of Doda district in Jammu region from 1997 to 2002.

The accused allegedly increased the population of these two blocks from 24,340 to 33,147 as permanent residents and from 6,272 to 26,325 as 'nomads visiting the areas during summer months.

He said the accused managed allotment of excess food grains for the area and sold that in black market and also misappropriated the carriage charges. The loss to the state exchequer has been worked out to be more than Rs 9 crore, the spokesman added.

The kingpin of the scandal, Ghulam Rasool Magray, the then Chief Inspector of Food and Supplies Department, and 11 other accused were arrested by the vigilance organisation.

The spokesman said Magray has since been retired from the government service.

MORE UNI AG SY PM1633