Shadow Correspondent
Ramnagar,Jan, 11:
Accusing the erstwhile BJP-PDP regime of utter failure in ensuring the implementation of even a single commitment made in the Agenda of Alliance (AOA) during its 3½ years rule, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh JKNPP Chairman and Former Minister said that it’s only achievement was legalizing corruption in the state. He said that the aborted rule witnessed a deep rooted culture of patronized corruption in the state with none to take cognizance of the public cries and frequent reports in the media of wanton irregularities and bunglings in the working of the govt. He said that most alarming aspect was not the money exchanging hands in the unwholesome bargains but the open defiance of norms and procedures, fearlessness and audacity displayed by corrupt elements in executing such illegal bargains. He was addressing a huge public meeting in Thaplal in Ramnagar constituency today.
Peeved over the negligible impact of various central schemes particularly MG-NREGA, IAY, DPAP, IWMP and TSC in the remote villages, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh regretted large scale pilferages and plunder of funds provided under the said schemes in the said villages. He lamented that there was hardly any tangible impact of the aforesaid schemes on the ground with the public complaints regarding swindling of funds by corrupt officials having fallen on deaf ears. He regretted non initiation of action against corrupt officials whose frauds had been established but were being sheltered due to patronage of political persons and Departmental Officers who were said to be in league in the fishy bargains.
Calling for a probe into the transfer Industry which flourished in the erstwhile regime in the Deptts of Education, Health, Forest, Power, PHE and Rural Development, Mr. Singh called for the constitution of SIT to unearth the alleged extraneous considerations and violations of prescribed norms. He said premature transfers running into several thousands in the said Deptts in violation of Transfer policy and stipulated norms had beaten all previous records of whimsical transfers and needed due cognizance of the chief Minister. Maintaining further that not only was the transfer Industry flourishing in the State, but the funds meant for development schemes were being plundered and looted by corrupt politicians in league with vested interests and unscrupulous govt. functionaries.
Mr. Harsh Dev Singh expressed grave concern over the open loot of funds in Ramnagar by unscrupulous officers in R&B, PHE, RDD and PMGSY in collusion with corrupt politicians in the name of repairs, restoration and maintenance without any tangible work executed on the ground. He said that allotment of contracts without tenders and departmental approvals for works costing crores, had blown the lid off the govt’s tall claims of “good governance” and “corruption free dispensation”. He said that with huge expenditure being shown to have been incurred on papers, the corresponding delivery on the ground was no where discernible.
Likewise, he alleged misappropriation and open loot of funds under Bad pocket initiative, 14th Finance Commission Awards SC/ST grants CDF and other maintenance grants by a corrupt politician-officer nexus during the past 4 years.
Maintaining that corruption had become all pervasive in the system, Mr. Singh urged upon the State Governor to tighten the noose around corrupt politicians and corrupt officers who had raised huge un-accounted wealth and disproportionate assets by abusing their position and authority.
Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion included Pawan Dev Singh, Hans Raj, Shiv Lal, Ganesh Dass, Tosh Kumar, Madan Lal, Sohan Lal, Pushpinder Singh besides others.
