Who will investigate the multi-crore PWD store scam in Rajouri and Nowshera divisions? Part-1

Who will investigate the multi-crore PWD store scam in Rajouri and Nowshera divisions? Part-1

SALIL RAINA

(POONCH TODAY NEWS)

POONCH: The much-hyped PWD store scam has not reached its logical conclusion in district Rajouri, reason, tainted officers of the department from JEs to X.ENs level with the full support of Storekeepers of Rajouri and Nowshera divisions scripted this multi-crore scam in a well-planned manner.

Executive Engineers of both divisions are openly murdering the transparency act. One of the top officers of the Rajouri division said, “We used to give shares to all including anti-graft agencies, that’s why nobody dares to stand against PWD.” Such a statement from tainted PWD Engineers shows that these crooked officials were not taken to task by the government over the years. Highly placed sources within PWD told “POONCH TODAY” that three former Chief Engineers were fully aware of this store fraud and accordingly, they tried to investigate the matter at their personal level, but the then Executive Engineers played smartly and those three Chief Engineers were adjusted in a big manner behind the curtains. The offices of Superintending Engineer Rajouri-Poonch circle and the office of Chief Engineer PWD(R&B) Jammu were fully aware of this multi-crore fraud, but nobody collected the guts to order an investigation into the matter. A retired PWD official from the Rajouri division, pleading anonymity, told “POONCH TODAY”, “PWD Rajouri is mostly called as “Fazz”(Fraud) division and is a hub of many multi-crore scams as nearly 60% bills for various works which were executed financially are fake one. Many JEs, AEEs, and X.ENs who remained posted in Rajouri and Nowshera divisions became overnight rich and have property and other related assets in several crores” added “Even many former legislators remained hand in glove in various financial frauds. Few top officers of district administration Rajouri were also adjusted out of the way to silence them on account of various inquiries which were ordered by anti-graft agencies.” The said retired official said, “Even corrupt PWD officials used to adjust officials from anti-graft bodies regularly and this is the main reason that no inquiry was ever ordered against PWD engineers. Yes, to hoodwink the public, only small fishes were taken to task by the government, but behind the curtains, all are well connected.” Executive Engineers who remained posted at Poonch, Rajouri and Nowshera divisions had no guts to bring information under the transparency act in the public domain, because, they fully knew that, if they provide any sort of information to the public under the transparency act, it could land them into big trouble. All the Executive Engineers are openly murdering the transparency act in Poonch and Rajouri districts.  In the Rajouri division, more than Rs 90 crores were booked in-store from FY 2008-09 to 2017-18 and the tainted Storekeeper played a big game in murdering of government exchequer with the involvement of successive Executive Engineers, AEEs and JEs, Even, few other important tables in PWD also remained part of this conspiracy of looting funds. The biggest question mark on both the PWD divisions of Rajouri and Nowshera is that in spite of booking more than Rs 140 crores, department officials feel hesitation in providing the record under the transparency act. (To be continued….)