Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Feb, 02
Making a vociferous appeal to the Lt Governor to constitute a Commission of Inquiry (COI) against the corrupt MLAs and Ministers who have accumulated huge wealth and disproportionate assets in the last five years, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh JKNPP Chairman and former Education Minister lambasted the erstwhile State govt. for having grossly failed to take action against the blemished politicians of BJP and PDP who had looted public exchequer, encroached State lands, Forest lands, Municipal and JDA lands besides having installed illegal brick kilns, stone crushers, hot mix plants and raised mammoth movable and immovable properties in various parts of the State and outside by abusing their position and authority. He said that even erstwhile Governor SP Malik had referred to several scams in the State in insurance contracts, power projects, Forest Department besides large scale illegitimate back door appointments but the bigwigs continued to enjoy immunity in view of their political clout with no action whatsoever initiated against the corrupt politicians. He said that the outgoing Governor was on record having made repeated statements about some politicians having raised palatial bungalows with 40-50 rooms each at several places including Srinagar, Jammu, New Delhi and elsewhere through ill gotten wealth. Regretfully no action was imitated against such corrupt leaders, lamented Singh. He was addressing a press conference in Jammu today.
Describing the BJP Govt’s tall slogans of providing transparent, accountable and corruption free governance to the people a hoax, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said that all such rants were made to enchant the masses for political gains. He said that several ex-BJP Ministers and MLAs had been reported to have created huge assets, taken loan from J&K Bank amounting to Rs. 30 crores and got it declared NPA besides having defied norms and procedures and violated Defence Acts besides other violations in constructing un-authorized structures and palatial bungalows. He said that even during demonetization a BJP Minister’s vehicle was widely reported to have been apprehended while carrying huge ‘dirty cash’ for conversion into new currency notes. “Similarly another Minister’s spouse was reported to have been video-graphed while converting black money into gold. Another Minister was accused of having taken several crores as bride from his colleague MLC for granting permission for construction of private apartments in an environmentally fragile area of Jammu”, Harsh divulged.
Revealing further, Mr. Singh said that several BJP Ministers were accused of promoting transfer industry in the State, allotment of works without tenders and illegal appointments made in govt. departments on monetary and extraneous considerations. Moreover, several Ministers and MLAs had encroached huge State lands and Forest lands whose adverse reports had been submitted even by the investigating agencies against them, Harsh disclosed. He said a BJP MLA rose from rags to riches within no time and had been accused of raising two palatial bungalows after elections besides raising huge moveable and immoveable assets in Jammu city and its vicinity which were disproportionate to his known sources of income. He further disclosed that in replies of RTIs, State land measuring 22 kanals and 15 marlas was found to be in illegal possession of said MLA and his family besides he having been involved in swindling subsidies from Agriculture and Horticulture departments which were supposed to be meant for the poor and the BPL families. “Several unemployed youth had claimed to be duped and looted by the said BJP MLA in the name of employment besides extortions from employees in the name of transfers”. He has purchased several nami and benami plots in Jammu and its vicinity besides other luxury vehicles but has been allowed immunity in view of being a BJP leader”, lamented Singh.
Accusing several Ex-Ministers and MLAs of running illegal pollution creating units including stone crushers, brick kilns, hot mix plants etc. without NOCs in a grass violation of the directions of High Court and Supreme Court and NGT, he regretted that authorities concerned had turned a blind eye to the same in view of the pressure of these powerful politicians running the unauthorized units. Further, holding the Ex-Ministers of the erstwhile PDP-BJP coalition and its Ex-MLAs squarely responsible for most of the irregular practices in the departments of R&B, PHE, PDD, H&ME and RDD in particular, Mr. Singh said that unscrupulous leaders often used their influence and exerted undue pressure on officers to confer undue benefits upon their favourities. He said that taking unfair advantage of their position and authority, several BJP MLAs resorted to coercion to get their unjustified and irregular demands fulfilled and works executed without observing codal provisions.
Urging the Lt Governor to constitute a Commission of Inquiry to probe into the involvement of Ex-MLAs and Ex-Ministers of erstwhile unethical alliance in corrupt deeds, large scale bunglings and other acts of omission and commission, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said that until noose was tightened around corrupt politicians, good and clean governance would remain a distant dream.
