VO issues challan against 5 J

Srinagar, Dec 30 (UNI) The Jammu and Kashmir State Vigilance Organisation (VO) has issued challans in the court of the Special Anti Corruption Judge here against five state government officials today.

A spokesman of the VO said the Organisation today issued challans against 3 officials of the J&K Small Scale Industries Corporation (SICOP) under anti-corruption cases.

The officials Rajesh Pandoh, then Estates Manager SICOP Udhampur, V P Malohatra, then Project Engineer SICOP Jammu and Mohd Anwar Mir then Project Engineer SICOP Kashmir, Contractor Suresh Kumar and supplier Prakash Singh had misappropriated over Rs 10 lakh by way of making payments of civil work and material on exorbitant rates while executing the Construction of ITI Complex, Udhampur in 2004-2005.

He said acting on inputs, the VO officials conducted a joint surprise check during which documents related to the construction of ITI Complex, Udhampur were scrutinised.

It was revealed that the officials of SICOP, in league with the contractor and supplier, made excess payments on exorbitant rates for civil work and material required for the construction. A case under FIR number 5/2005 P/S VOJ U/S 5(2) PC Act 2006 was registered and investigation taken up.

In the course of investigation, it was established that SICOP officials allotted the execution of Construction of ITI Complex at Udhampur without inviting NIT and fair competition to their favorite contractor.

The rates of civil works paid by the accused officials were compared with rates of the JKPCC on identical basis and were found to be highly exorbitant.

In the civil work, upto plinth level, an amount of Rs 2.81 lakh was found to have been paid in access to the accused Contractor Suresh Kumar.

The accused officials also paid over Rs 6 lakh in excess to the same Contractor for civil work of the Super structure building.

He said an amount of over Rs 1.66 lakh was found to have been paid in excess to the accused supplier for supply of steel for the construction.

In this way, the spokesman said, the accused officials have caused a loss of over Rs 10 lakh to the state exchequer.

A spokesman of the VO, XXX picking up from para second of Srn 5'' Crime Kashmir Challan:.

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