Jammu and Kashmir State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) today registered a case against six officials, including three engineers, of the Irrigation and Flood Control Division-Kupwara in a Rs 11-lakh embezzlement case.
The case was registered against the officials after an enquiry revealed that they, in connivance with a contractor, had embezzled or misappropriated huge amount of government funds during 2008-10 while executing various works, an SVO spokesman said here.
He said the inquiry revealed that the work of "increasing capacity by way of deepening and widening of Dharamwari storage tank" was allotted by then Executive Engineer Mohammad Sarwar Dar in favour of contractor Nazir Ahmad Mir at a cost of Rs 18.265 lakh, but later it was hiked to Rs 19.949 lakh.
"During inspection, the actual measurements recorded on the maintenance book did not tally with ground situation. The quantity of earthwork found executed on ground was 5,926 cubic metres against paid quantity of 14,091 cubic metres, thereby causing loss to the tune of Rs 11,55,906 to the state exchequer," the spokesman said.
The spokesman said the amount is inclusive of loss of Rs 2,47,762 caused on account of wrong calculation made by the concerned engineers and drafts men of the division.
The inquiry revealed that Dar, along with then assistant executive engineer Khazar Mohammd Khanday, junior engineer Ghulam Mohi-ud-din peer, head drafts man Abul Aziz Kumar, drafts men Akther Mohi-ud-din Baba and Irfan Ahmad Bhat, hatched a criminal conspiracy and by abuse of their official positions, misappropriated funds by inflating measurements and wrong calculations, he said.
"Omissions and commissions on part of the public servants constitute offences punishable under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Ranbir Penal Code," the spokesman said, adding a case was registered against the accused and further investigations are on.
