CA&PD scam:Employees accuse department of shielding the accused

5 Dariya News (Yawar Shafi)

Srinagar 21-Aug-2014

The official secret documents of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CA&PD) reveals that officials of the department involved in various scandals are not being taken to task and instead are awarded prize postings while Commissioner Secretary CA&PD Baseer Ahmed Khan made it clear that every penny will be extracted from them .In a letter vide number CA&PDD/Pul/2014/4087 to the Director CA&PD Kashmir, Assistant Director Pulwama reveals that 7228 quintals of rice was issued to Khrew circle by the then Tehsil Supply Officer (TSO) namely, Riyaz Ahmed Malik while the same quantity of food grains has been misappropriated by the said TSO.Assistant Director CA&PD Pulwama in his letter to the Director further reveals that Vigilance Organization Kashmir has asked for the grain bag statement of Kakapora and Pulwama circles in which the said TSO is also involved in issuing over and above quantity of food grains in BPL and AAY category and the records pertaining to this is missing in district Pulwama, which according to the AD Pulwama needs to be verified at grass root level.AD Pulwama further writes that the said TSO has been indulged in this practice for a long time and the same has been un-noticed by the concerned officers of the department.

The official letter according to CNS, further reveals that in the month of February 2014, the said TSO Riyaz Ahmed Malik again issued excess quantity of rice and flour to Newa and Kakapora circles respectively for which the undersigned has been called for explanation vide number CA&PDD/STS/3504 dated March 5, 2014 and the reply is still awaited. “Again the said official did not stop here but in the next month, he again issued over and above quantity of rice, sugar and flour to Kakapora, Pulwama and Awantipora circles,” the official letter reads.Surprisingly, instead of taking action against the said TSO, he has been given prize posting.

The official documents further reveal that another TSO namely Abdul Gani Malik allegedly involved in multi-crore Madwa Wadwan rice scam have also got prize posting. The said TSO as per official records is also involved in Mid-day meal scam in Anantnag where he allegedly misappropriated all but 30,000 quintals of rice that was meant for school children. “It is a known fact that the accused soon after the surfacing of this scam, visited Accounts Sections office in Srinagar and allegedly tempered with the official records. All involved in scams get prize postings and it is done by the higher authorities,” a CA&PD official told CNS on condition of anonymity.

In order to ascertain the factual position regarding these allegations Directorate of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department Kashmir constituted a three member committee vide order number 82-DCA&PDK of 2014. The three member committee comprised of Deputy Director Supplies Sajid Yeha Naqash, Assistant Director Pulwama Mushtaq Ahmed Wani and Assistant Accounts Officer Muneer Ahmed. Sources told CNS that in a bid to save the tainted official, these three members were removed from investigating committee while the job was entrusted to Assistant Director Administration Dr Gulzar Ahmed.

Dr Gulzar Ahmed confirmed to CNS that he is investigating the matter. “We have seized some relevant documents and the factual position will become clear after a fortnight,” he claimed.

The employees accuse the department of shielding the culprit. They alleged that the Directorate changed the members of the Committee to give a safe exit to the accused employees as they have committed this fraud in league with the higher officials of the department. When contacted, Director CA&PD Bilal Ahmed Bhat said that the members of the Committee were changed because one of the ‘honest’ official did not want to be the part of the mess. He said that stern action will be taken against the accused if proven guilty.Commissioner Secretary to CA&PD Department Baseer Ahmed Khan told CNS that the department has taken a tough stand in this regard and all the accused have been taken to task. “We are recovering every penny they have grabbed through fraud from these tainted officials. And we are mulling to attach the property of the tainted defaulters,” Khan said adding that no tainted employee have been given prize posting. SSP Vigilance South Kashmir told CNS that they are thoroughly investigating the matter and the guilty will not be spared.