Srinagar, Mar 06 : Crime Branch of police on Friday carried raids at eight places across the various districts of UT of J&K in connection with major scams in Jammu & Kashmir Projects Construction Corp (JKPCC)
The raid were carried in districts of Srinagar, Jammu, Shopian, Kupwara and Ganderbal , Crime Branch officials told news agency.
The J&K administration had last year handed over the investigation to crime branch of the state police, which registered an FIR and started investigations.
The raids were carried out in the premises of the Dileep Thusoo, former managing Director JKPCC, at Bhagwati Nagar Jammu, Vikar Mustafa Shuntho, also ex-Managing Director JKPCC at Qamarwari Srinagar, Mohammad Abass Lone, former Deputy General Manager JKPCC at Peerbagh Srinagar,
Shabir Ahmad Najar, the then Deputy General Manager JKPCC, at present HIG Colony Bemina, Mohammad Sideeq Mala, ex-Deputy General Manager at Harran Ganderbal, Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, J.E JKPCC of Sogam Lolab Kupwara at present Tangpora Byepass Srinagar.
“During the searches incriminating material has been seized as per procedure established which is being examined in the case,” the officials added.
The probe was ordered amid numerous complaints about the functioning of JKPCC, particularly relating to corruption in civil contracts, illegality in appointments at multiple levels and excessive cost and time overruns. The probe followed the appointed of a fact finding committee by the government to look into all these allegations.
The committee, as per the government, looked into the manner of awarding contracts to contractors often on a nomination basis without following transparent tendering procedures, diverting funds from one project to another leading to a large number of incomplete projects.
Apart from these, the committee also looked into irregularities in appointments at various levels, including that of the Managing Director, inefficiency in functioning and huge time and cost overruns in project implementation, reasons for estimates for construction being much higher than those of the PWD. It had submitted a voluminous report bringing out in detail large irregularities in the operation of the JKPCC and recommended on improving the corporation, a government spokesman had said at the time of announcing the Crime Branch probe reported GNS.
