Srinagar, Mar 06 (KNS): Crime Branch of Police on Friday carried raids at several locations in Ganderbal, Shopian and Kupwara districts in connection with major scams that were unearthed in JKPCC last year.
According to Kashmir News Service (KNS), the Jammu and Kashmir administration had last year handed over the investigation to the Crime Branch of the J&K Police, which registered an FIR and started high level probe.
A Crime branch statement issued to KNS reads, the searches were conducted in connection with the investigation of Case FIR 02/2020 U/S 468, 471, 120 B IPC, 5(2) PC Act of Police Station, Crime Branch, Kashmir. It is pertinent to state that the said FIR has been registered on account of misappropriation/embezzlement in various works carried out by JKPCC Unit 10th , which has led to huge financial loss to the Government Exchequer.
The searches were carried out in the premises of Dileep Thasu, the then Managing Director JKPCC s/o Chaman Lal Thasu of Laxman Villa Lane No 02 Ashok Nagar Bhagwati Nagar Jammu, Viqar Mustafa Shuntho the then Managing Director JKPCC s/o Ghulam Mustafa Shuntho of Hilal Abad Qamarwari Srinagar, Mohammad Abass Lone the then Deputy General Manager JKPCC Unit 10th Kupwara s/o Haji Mohammad Ramzan Lone of Watoo Shopian at present Jeelan Abad Peerbagh, Shabir Ahmad Najar the then Deputy General Manager JKPCC Unit 10th Kupwara s/o Ghulam Mohammad Najar of Kani Mazzar Srinagar at present HIG Colony Bemina, Mohammad Sideeq Mala the then Deputy General Manager JKPCC Unit 10th Kupwara s/o Abdul Samad Mala of Harran Ganderbal, Ghulam Mohammad Bhat J.E JKPCC Unit 10th Kupwara s/o Ghulam Ahmad Bhat of Sogam Lolab Kupwara at present Tangpora Byepass Srinaga, the statement said.
During the searches incriminating material has been seized as per procedure established which is being examined in the case. It is pertinent to mention that during Governors rule last year, the case was handed over to CBI with an aim to unearth further details.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelIt was a major step towards “eradication of corruption in the JKPCC, stopping and curbing backdoor appointments and bringing a culture of transparency in the department”, a CB official told KNS. The probe was ordered amid numerous complaints about the functioning of JKPCC, particularly relating to corruption in civil contracts, illegality in appointments at multiple levels and excessive cost and time overruns. The probe followed the appointed of a fact-finding committee by the government to look into all these allegations.
The committee, as per the government, looked into the manner of awarding contracts to contractors often on a nomination basis without following transparent tendering procedures, diverting funds from one project to another leading to a large number of incomplete projects and embezzlement of funds.
Apart from these, the committee also looked into irregularities in appointments at various levels, including that of the Managing Director, inefficiency in functioning and huge time and cost overruns in project implementation, reasons for estimates for construction being much higher than those of the PWD. It had submitted a voluminous report bringing out in detail large irregularities in the operation of the JKPCC and recommended on improving the corporation, a government spokesman had said at the time of announcing the Crime Branch probe.
It is pertinent to mention that Dilip Thusoo, was promoted as Managing Director (MD) JKPCC by the government in 2008 and year later, he was attached to GAD by Omar Abdullah regime for allegedly providing wrong information to the Chief Minister. A few months later Thusoo was again reinstated and appointed as MD J&K Housing Board. He was later given charge of Secretary Sports Council. Subsequently, the then PDP-BJP coalition government again reinstated Thusoo as MD JKPCC. (KNS).