Srinagar, Oct 6: Jammu and Kashmir State Vigilance Organization (SVO) has unearthed a fraud in the purchase of electric equipments worth lakhs of rupees at highly exorbitant rates without floating any tende.

A spokesman of the SVO said an Fir has been lodged under Prevention of Corruption Act and 120(B) RPC against Mohammad Sultan Sheikh, former Executive Engineer Electric division, Budgam, and his Assistant Accounts Officer, Syed Qamar-ud-din, for misuse of official position in effecting purchase of electric equipment worth Rs 68.16 lacs at highly exorbitant rates from favourite dealers, without any requirement and competence and without any tendering process during the year 2005-06.

The electric goods so purchased were found to be over priced by about Rs 30.0 lakhs, thus imposing a huge loss on the state government.

He said the Gulmarg Development Authority (GDA) had erroneously paid an amount of Rs 145.0 lacs to the accused against a requirement of Rs 57.95 lacs for shifting of 11 KV electric Network on Narbal Gulmarg road necessitated due to road widening.

In fact, Rs 87.05 lac of this amount of Rs 145 lac was to be allotted to Electric Division STD 2nd for shifting of 33 KV transmission line for the Narbal- Magam Sector.

The accused engineer, instead of returning the balance amount to the Gulamrg Development Authority, spent the same for the purchase of electric equipments not required, of substandard quality and at highly inflated rates.

The spokesman said the accused was also found to have misused about Rs 22.00 lacs and reconded it as expended on works for which the funds had already been released to him by the Chief Engineer Electric Maintenance, Kashmir. Only Rs 17.46 lac have been spent for the shifting of the 11 KV line on Narbal Tangmarg road.

The investigation has also revealed that the accused has also made payment Rs 2,35,173 in excess to the executing agency M/s N N Associates, Srinagar in connection with the work namely shifting of single/double circuit from Narbal to Rashtriya Rifles (RR) Camp Gagripora.


UNI