1. Home
2. Jammu

Open loot in PHE department Kishtwar

Young Bites. Dated: 1/15/2019 11:54:00 AM

Pipes scandle worth crores

Waseem Akram Bhutt
Kishtwar, Jan 14
On sunday night pipes in large quantity were recovered after Young Bites correspondent raised issue with PHE department. As per details available with Young Bites correspondent Waseem Akram Butt collected strong evidence including recordings and pipes which was going to be sold through middleman belonging from Delhi.
While talking to AEE PHE Nisar Akhoon on phone he said he was not aware about the pipes which were recovered but after few hours he produced gate pass through his WhatsApp , which indicates something is behind the curtains in deep.
Besides nexus floating in PHE Kishtwar as PHE employees forced by department without any proper experience for running HRT lifts, it, is a big loss, where is mechanical department, something is behind the curtain, why has mechanical department handed over HRT lift to PHE department, it seems that the officers/officials at the helm of affairs are not performing their legitimate duties well and it is only because of their grave negligence the lifts are not functioning properly. The order issued by DC Kishtwar last year reads that it comes to fore during the inspection that the employees of the department are not performing their duties.
Almost all the areas of Kishtwar town and its peripheral areas spread over the radius of 5-8 KM are daily complaining about the water crisis and there was heavy rush of people around the springs to fetch drinking water where people had to wait for hours to get their turn for the same.
Though government has spent hundreds of crores on various water supply schemes in Kishtwar District to overcome the water crisis as majority of the local water sources dried up due to digging of 390 MW Dool-Hasti Power project, but majority of them were only in papers and despite repeated complaints to concern authorities, nothing was been done as people believe involvement of corruption from top to bottom.
After the imposition of the President rule, people are pinning hope that governor Satya Pal Malik will order a special audit and inquiry into the utilization of funds not only by Hydrulic Division Kishtwar, but also in adjoining Doda District since last 10-15 years.
It is pertinent to mention that in an open loot and misuse of government exchequer in the hydraulic division Kishtwar, highlighted how Hydrulic Division Kishtwar had spent crores on the name of repair/augmentation of HRT lift water supply scheme while crores were spent on the name of permanent restoration of Gravity main of Naigard , Lalha WaterSupply Kishtwar town and WSS Palmar, but despite spending such huge amount on the said water supply scheme within few years of its commission has raised several doubts on the utilization of these funds as Kishtwar town and its vicinity is continuously facing the water crises on daily bases.
As per details out of allotted budget of Rs. 4.47 lacs under Demand No. 23-PHE, H.O.D-01-CE PHE Jammu, Group Head -0011 (State Sector Capex Budget), Sub Head -1002 PHE department Jammu, the Hydraulic Division Kishtwar spent Rs.315183 as progress expenditure for permanent restoration of Gravity Main of Naigard , Lalha Water Supply Kishtwar town and WSS Palmar.
Similarly under same head the Hydraulic Division Kishtwar spent huge on account of augmentation of 3 stage lift water Supply scheme for abandoned HRT of Dul Hasti Project of Kishtwar Town for the session ending 3/2017 and another Rs. 86.07 lacs were also spent on the same during the same period and thus total an amount of Rs. 1.85 Crore were spent on the prestigious water supply scheme last year. Beside this an amount worth lacs of rupees had been withdrawn on account of tanker services which itself is a mass scale nexus in the department.