Srinagar: At a time when Jammu and Kashmir government is facing severe financial crunch, officers in Forest Department have wasted funds worth crores of rupees either on unproductive or non-existential works.
RTI details have revealed that during the financial year 2013-14 only one division of the Department (Urban Forestry Division Srinagar) spent more than Rs 3.75 crore from non-plan, district plan, state plan, 13th finance, CAMPA and other allotments.
The RTI No: 3148-49/UF/L dated 25-06-2014 reveals that DFO Urban Forest Division Srinagar spent a whopping Rs 22.40 lakh on just maintenance of buildings. Out of Rs 22.40 lakh, the DFO shows he spent Rs 12.66 lakh on maintenance of building in March 2014 while Rs 6.33 lakhs were spent on the same head in February 2014. However, the RTI doesnt reveal on which building the money was spent and what type of maintenance was carried out.
Not only this, the RTI details show expenditure of Rs 6.20 lakh on unknown trainings in March 2014. Similarly, in the telephone expenditure, the Division shows that it spent Rs 1.60 lakh in March 2014.
Similarly, the RTI details reveal that construction work worth crores was carried out by the Division without inviting tenders. In addition to money, hundreds of cft of prized Deodar, Kail and Fir timber has been issued to various ranges of the Division to carry out the works.
While 2064.21 cft of timber was allotted for the works in 2013-14 in the Division, according to RTI reply, all the timber got utilized. Out of this hundreds of cft of timber was swindled and sold in the market, an official of the Division wishing anonymity said.
Sources told KNS that bungling has not only been done in money, but the timber has also been swindled. How can you justify expenditure of Rs 22.40 lakhs on maintenance of building in just one year and major portion of which has been spent in the last two months of the financial year? You cant spent this whopping amount on maintenance of building, they said.
Claiming that most of the funds in the Division have been swindled over the years, sources said, What is the logic of posting an ineligible official as DFO of a premier division? KNS
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