Security forces occupy expensive hotels, bldgs in J

Srinagar, May 17 (UNI) Despite instruction from the Centre, the Jammu and Kashmir Home Department had failed to de-hire and vacate expensive hotels and buildings occupied by security forces in the state, resulting in avoidable and excess payment of rent, according to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.

It said security forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir to combat militancy have occupied vacant houses of migrant Kashmiri Pandits, office buildings, hotels and cinema halls.

Subsequently, the report said accommodation was regularised in consultation with the local police for which the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG-Srinagar and Jammu ranges) functioned as coordinating agencies.

The rent payable was fixed by the Rent Assessment Committee concerned, which recommended cases to the Director General of Police (DGP) for processing and obtaining sanction of the Jammu and Kashmir government (Home Department).

As on March 31, 2006, security forces occupied 33 hotels and cinema halls and 628 private accommodations in the Kashmir valley, and 326 private accommodations in Jammu.

The report said the number of cases where rent was sanctioned totalled to 850, out of which 55 were in Kashmir and the remaining 300 in Jammu. While 137 cases had not been sanctioned, out of which 111 were in Kashmir and the remaining 26 in Jammu.

It said there were 466 pending rent cases from the sanctioned ones. Out of these, 378 cases were in Kashmir and the remaining 88 in Jammu.

The report said scrutiny of records in March 2006 revealed that the year wise breakup of 137 cases under process and awaiting sanction and likely estimated rent payable had not been worked out.

In respect of 486 cases sanctioned, the rent payable amounted to Rs 14 crore as of September 2006.

The continued un-discharged liability pending effective action by the Home Department indicated inadequate management of hired accommodation and under statement of the current Security Related Expenditure (SRE), the report said, adding audit scrutiny of records related to hiring of accommodation revealed further irregularities.

In order to reduce the burden of rent and also for meeting the increased demand for accommodation due to tourist rush, the Centre advised the state government in January 1999 to make efforts to vacate expensive hotels and buildings occupied by security forces.

In February 2003, the state government ordered de-hiring of hotels where rent paid was as exorbitant as Rs 200 per room per day and to find suitable alternate accommodation for the security forces.

The report said the test check of records of the DGP in March 2006 revealed that out of seven expensive hotels, only two were de-hired and five -- Athena, Boulevard, Green World, Ikhwan and Metro -- continued to be occupied by the security forces.

In respect of Hotel Metro, the report said the owner in October 2003 offered to reduce the rate to Rs 110 per room per day to avoid de-hiring, but no action was taken by the Home Department, which continued to pay the higher rate of Rs 200 per room per day despite a low offer.

On this being pointed out, the Police Headquarters (PHQ) in September 2006 issued instructions to DIG (Central Kashmir Range) to make payment to Hotel Metro at the reduced rate of Rs 110 per room per day from October 2003.

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