Charges filed against Revenue officials for misappropriation of nearly 2 cr

This follows completion of investigations into a complaint received by Vigilance Organisation in August 2005 against some officials about having misappropriated huge amount of public money during distribution of releif among affected families from Poonch and Rajouri districts,who could not graze their cattle in highland pastures during Operation Sarpvinash on Hill Kaka in 2003. A preliminary enquiry by Vigilance Organization prima-facie substantiated the allegations leading to registration of case under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.

As troops launched operation to destroy terrorist hideouts at Hill Kaka in 2003,the seasonal migration of nomadic Gujjars and Bakerwals from Poonch and Rajouri districts to highland pastures there was not allowed by the government for security reasons. As these affected families had to incur huge losses in terms of arranging fodder for their cattle,the Central government sanctioned Rs 7.40 crore as relief and compensation in their favour.

The Deputy Commissioner,Poonch,transferred this relief amount to Assistant Commissioner (Revenue) Poonch and directed him to disburse it as per the prescribed scale fixed for each cattle head of livestock,sheep and goat owned by affected families. In addition to it,Rs 400 each person upto a maximum of Rs 1,600 per family was to be paid to 90 families residing in Hill Kaka area every month.

Pointing out that the Central government released Rs 3 crore in 2003 and Rs 4.40 crore in 2004-05,the challan submitted that the compensation had to be disbursed as per the lists of affected families prepared and submitted by tehsildars concerned strictly on the basis of seasonal permits issued to migrating families by competent authorities during 2001 and 2002.

However,the accused officials entered into a conspiracy with touts and beneficiaries and manipulated records inflating the number of cattle heads of beneficiaries. It was found that of 283 families shown in official records to have been paid relief money,only 34 families were genuine beneficiaries. In six cases,relief amount had been drawn twice thereby causing loss of Rs 6.43 lakh to the exchequer. Investigations also revealed that in respect of 26 beneficiaries,an amount of Rs 18.20 lakh was drawn in excess of their actual entitlement and subsequently misappropriated,the challan submitted,adding that a total of Rs 2.46 crores was found to have been drawn in favour of undeserving and ineligible beneficiaries and misappropriated.

To pocket the misappropriated amount,the then Assistance Commissioner issued ”order cheques” instead of ”crossed payees cheques’ to the beneficiaries. Even the relief was distributed through middlemen who charged huge commission for sanction of relief,the challan pointed out.