Director Agriculture, others booked for seeds scam in Kashmir

Srinagar, Jan 11: The Jammu and Kashmir Vigilance Organisation today registered a case against some top agriculture officials for purchasing 650 irrigation pumps and hybrid seeds on exorbitant rates which caused a loss of crores of rupees to the state exchequer.

A vigilance spokesman said the Director Agriculture Kashmir, the Joint Director Agriculture (Inputs) and a Supplier were booked for causing a loss of Rs 9.46 lakh to the state exchequer by purchasing hybrid seeds on exorbitant rates which were received in government stores after the expiry of the sowing season.

He said these seeds have a shelf-life of six months, are lying in stores and could not be used now.

The officials, including the Director, have also committed bungling in the purchase of 650 Irrigation pumps worth Rs 1.18 crore from a Delhi-based firm in February 2002 by issuing a pre-dated order of December 2005 without any requisition and fair competition.

The spokesman said acting on a tip-off that officials of the Agriculture Directorate, Kashmir had indulged in corrupt practices in purchase of seeds and irrigation pumps during 2005-06, the Vigilance Organisation initiated an inquiry during which records pertaining to the purchases were checked.

During the course of investigations, it was revealed that the accused officials in connivance with the suppliers had placed orders of 22 kg of hybrid tomato seeds and 21 kg chilly seeds at the rate of Rs 22,880 per kg and Rs 23,680 per kg respectively with the Delhi-based Sangroo Seeds and the supplies were received through Farm Aids of Batamaloo here.

It was revealed that 22 kg of hybrid tomato seeds were purchased from the firm on the previously approved rates of Rs 22,880 per kg instead of much lower prevailing rate of Rs 15,600 per kg fixed by the State Level Rate Contract Finalisation Committee (SLRCFC). It was found that the accused were aware of the revised rate contract fixed by the SLRCFC of which the Director Agriculture, Kashmir was a member, the spokesman said.

The seeds worth Rs 9,46,944 with the shelf-life of six months were received after the sowing season was over and found lying in the stores unused.

The investigations also revealed that the SLRCFC had decided to defer the finalisation of rate contract for irrigation pump sets till the actual requirement was worked out by the department.

''The accused willfully and dishonestly ignored the decision and placed purchase orders for 650 irrigation pumps with two Delhi-based firms in February last year on the basis of an already expired rate contract fixed by the Horticulture Department,'' the spokesman said.

He said the accused were found to have fabricated the records to predate the purchase order for December 29, 2005 while as the purchases were actually ordered in February last year.

The investigations also revealed that the purchase orders of Pump sets worth Rs 1.18 crore were made without inducing competition and a large number of pumps purchased earlier were found stocked in the departmental stores, the spokesman added.

He said the officials had put the state exchequer to an avoidable loss and conferred undue pecuniary advantage on themselves and the suppliers. A case has been registered in this regard and investigations taken up, the spokesman added.

UNI