Brazen financial frauds scripted in Rajouri Municipality by the executive officer; District administration nowhere

Brazen financial frauds scripted in Rajouri Municipality by the executive officer; District administration nowhere

POONCH TODAY NEWS

RAJOURI: Throwing all rules to the wind, the executive officer of Rajouri Municipality, who also held charge of Thanamandi Municipality, scripted brazen financial frauds during the last few months.

Thanamandi Municipality, which remained in the news for unhealthy financial practices and backdoor recruitment scams, brought a bad name to the department of Urban Local Bodies, as tainted E.Os over the years murdered the rules just for their illegal financial gains. Whether adjusting their nears and dears on the posts meant for Safai Karamcharis and giving them out-of-turn promotions on fake letterheads of the Director of ULB Jammu or other financial frauds, the list is endless. Now, joining the bandwagon of corruption, E.O. Rajouri also started hitting the bullseye financially, as during his last few months, huge electrical purchases were made out of the way for the beautification of Thanamandi town, but no material was received in the committee. E.O. drew bills amounting to nearly one crore rupees for the months of January, February, and March 2025. The E.O. also purchased furniture to the tune of Rs 14 lacs when there was no need for the furniture in the office. In the Rajouri bus stand, a number of illegal khokhas have been established, and the concerned official took Rs 5 lac per khokha. In Rajouri municipality, purchases have been made out of the way, and it shows that the E.O. has murdered the government exchequer. In the name of disinfectant tools and legacy waste, fake bills amounting to several lacs were withdrawn. Rajouri and Thanamandi municipalities in the Rajouri district have become a hub of corruption, but it’s shocking that the district administration of Rajouri has adopted a questionable silence on the issue. It’s an alarming situation in the district that one of the departments of the Rajouri administration is indulging in open looting of the government funds. If this is the condition of the Rajouri and Thanamandi municipalities, where open loot has become an order of the day for many months, then what would be the condition of PWD, PDD, PMGSY, and a host of other government departments known for getting huge funding? It is important to mention here that during the last few years, some executive officers in the Thanamandi and Rajouri municipalities played open financial shots as their wicked mindset resulted in massive financial blows to the government exchequers. Former DC Rajouri, by forming an inquiry committee into the embezzlement of funds and backdoor recruitment in Thanamandi Municipality, also established the fact that massive fraud had taken place in the Thanamandi Municipality, and a report of that was sent to ULB Directorate Jammu, but no action has yet been taken against the erring officials. Now following the footsteps of Thanamandi Municipality, E.O. Rajouri Municipality also started the same, and it shows that there is no administration in the Rajouri district that could take action against the E.O. Rajouri by conducting an inquiry into the purchases made by him in both the municipalities, thereby giving a massive setback to the government exchequer. A high-level inquiry is needed into the issue to bring to book those who have violated the government rules just for their personal gains with their open involvement and various financial and other frauds in the ULB department in Rajouri.