Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday registered a case against two former senior government officials and 48 others for illegal and fraudulent allotment of shop sites in Sopore township of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
A Joint Surprise Check (JSC) was conducted by ACB to investigate the allegations of large-scale bungling in the allotment of shops at Fruit Mandi Sopore by the Horticulture (Planning & Marketing) Department on Tuesday.
ACB in a statement said that it was alleged that the Area Marketing Officer concerned in connivance with touts of the Fruit Mandi Union allotted shops at their will against huge consideration and the bonafide applicants who had submitted forms along with premiums two decades back were ignored.
It surfaced that the Department of Horticulture (Planning & Marketing) invited offers on prescribed forms from eligible Fruit & Vegetable Growers/ Traders/ Commission Agents/ Joint Firms/ Societies/ Federations/ Corporations and other NGOs for allotment of 700 shop sites at Fruit & Vegetable Market Nowpora Sopore in April.2001. In response to this offer, 595 applications were received with a 1st premium installment of Rs 25,000/-.
The probe revealed that the draw of lots in the allotment of shop sites, as contained in the notification, was dispensed with and allotments were arbitrary.
The Area Marketing Officer Sopore identified as Mohammad Ashraf Damnoo has even resorted to forgery for accommodating the preferred beneficiaries. Instead of recovering premiums from allotted beneficiaries, Damnoo enlisted the beneficiaries who had not even applied within the stipulated time, including his son and brother-in-law.
The probe conducted revealed that 48 such beneficiaries have been enlisted in the years 2009, 2012, 2013 & 2014 despite the cutoff date of 29.09.2001 on the same premium of Rs. 100,000/- fixed in the year 2001 while the rate of the land increased manifold in the meantime.
The probe also revealed that officers/officials of the Horticulture (Planning & Marketing) Department kept the matter dormant till 2009.
The allotments were made in disregard to the terms and conditions notified for the purpose. It has also been found that possession and release hold rights of the shop sites have been conferred to the beneficiaries without receiving the third installment of premium of Rs. 50,000/- which was one of the pre-requisites of the terms & conditions of the allotment issued by the Department.
The then Deputy Director Horticulture Mohammad Sultan Teli & the then Area Marketing Officer Sopore Damnoo issued allotment orders in favour of 591 applicants without realizing the full premium amount of Rs. 1. lakh, the outstanding towards the allottees as of 30.06.2021 was Rs. 1,21,88,000/- .
The involved officers/officials of Horticulture (Planning & Marketing) Department Kashmir under well-knit conspiracy hatched amongst themselves &with the beneficiaries, by abuse of their official’s positions, dishonestly and fraudulently instead of pecuniary gains, managed application forms for shop sites at Fruit and Vegetable Market Nowpora, sopore years the cutoff date and issued allotment orders in their favour in disregard to the notified terms and conditions which also include their relatives, depriving deserving ones, thus conferred an undue benefit upon themselves and the beneficiaries.
They deliberately did not take any prescribed panel action against defaulting allotters & did not realize the requisite premium amount well in time, which ultimately resulted in the corresponding loss of Rs. 1,21,88,000/- to the state exchequer 30.06.2021.
The acts of omissions or commissions on the part of accused persons then Deputy Director Horticulture (Planning & Marketing) Dept and then Area Marketing officer Sopore, the beneficiaries & others constitute offences punishable u/s 5(1)(d) r/w 5(2) J&K P.C.Act, Svt; 2006 & sections 465,468,471 & 120-B RPC.Accordingly, Case FIR No 06 /2024 was registered in P/S ACB Baramulla and investigation was initiated.
Immediately after registration of the case, searches were also conducted at the residences of the accused public servants during which various incriminating documents on the matter were also recovered and seized.
Further investigations in the case are going on, the statement said.
