Mayor, Commissioner gears up to oust corrupt from SMC
Azhar Hussain Tantray
SRINAGAR, Oct 6: Just two weeks before, the scandalous audio clip of a SMC councilor from Ilahi Bagh that surfaced on the social media platforms sent shockwaves leaving both the administration and general public perplexed over the barefaced corrupt nexus wherein bribes were demanded for allowing illegal constructions in Srinagar.
The revelations began to make sense when a series of audio clips under anonymous ‘Kashmir Corrupt Diaries’ flooded Facebook and WhatsApp groups. The primary two clips focused on the councillor from Ilahi Bagh namely Majid Tantray who appears to be assuring the person on phone of every possible support from the Building Inspector and incumbent Deputy Mayor Parvez Qadiri.
The third clip opens up in a group meeting where the division of Rs. 5 Lakhs is being discussed and the alleged voice of Deputy Mayor can be apparently heard making calculations while denying the claim of receiving 6 lakh rupees.
After a few days, Mayor Srinagar Junaid Mattu subtly confirmed the veracity of these audio clips terming them as a matter of serious concern besides seeking attention of the investigating agencies to probe the matter to bring facts to light. He also mentioned two lakhs being taken as bribe which may point towards an alleged transaction made by a contractor in order to facilitate the construction of a reputed school building.
The SMC once came in news when a group of councillors revealed that a no-confidence motion against the Mayor was on cards and in coming weeks the further process will be initiated. The sources revealed to Kashmir Despatch that it has been a pressure tactic devised by those councillors who were under the scanner of J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and apparently were upset with the Mayor for speaking out loudly against the corruption.
As if it wasn’t enough, Mayor SMC took to microblogging site Twitter yesterday claiming that roughly Rs 1.4 crores have been deposited electronically in the bank account of an elected representative from SMC besides individual transactions running into lakhs. Further to corroborate and cleanse this rot in the municipality the Commissioner SMC Athar Aamir on Thursday deliberated on stern action taken against the corrupt employees while affirming the action has been taken against 35 guilty employees.
In the backdrop of all these events, the voice of former Deputy Mayor and current executive member SMC Sheikh Mohammad Imran was often heard against such malpractices. His numerous interviews with media channels can be seen as a precursor to current happenings whose prediction about a bus ferrying corrupt persons from SMC might become a reality soon.
The investigating agencies especially ACB is on task and even public eyes roll over the upcoming events that will surely be unprecedented. Even many people have demanded a temporary suspension of these suspected councillors who may try to use their portfolios to influence the investigation.
