VO raids UEED office, seizes cash, cement

KT NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, Feb 17: Sleuth's of State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) raided the Chief Engineer's Office of Urban Engineering and Environment Division (UEED) Narwal this evening and recovered excess amount of Rs.

60,000 from a cashier SVO Sleuths also seized a truck carrying 175 bags of cement within UEED complex which was being transported by manuplating and tampering the challan book.

The VO team seized excess cash, official record and empty counter files from the UEED office which has been put under scrutiny.

Acting on the complaints regarding corrupt practices in Engineering department especially UEED, Jammu, the vigilance team conducted surprise raid in theoffice premises of UEED this evening.

During the surprise check the Vigilance team checked the cash chest and also inspected connected records such as cashbook.

On the spot inspection revealed that an excess amount of Rs.

60,000 was available with the cashier after disbursing.

The cashier Girdhari Lal tried on the spot to conceal one bundle of currency notes amounting to Rs.

50,000 by stuffing it in his jacket.

However, the alert Vigilance Officer detected it and prevented the same.

The strong suspicion that original information about commission money being routinely deducted at source turned out to be true, said an official release.

State Vigilance Organisation had been receiving information since long that Engineering Deptt.

especially Urban Engineering and Environmental Division (UEED), Jammu, has been indulging in serious corrupt practices.

The method adopted by the corrupt official included deduction of commission money from contractor immediately after encashing the bill from the Treasury.

The commission money used to be as high as 25 percent to 30 percent.

This money used to be shared between various level of officefrs.

Another mechanism followed was, commission in kind such as cement and other building materials.

At the same time, another team of Vigilance officials intercepted a truck number JK02A-8708, within the UEED complex, immediately after coming out of store, carrying 175 cement bags.

The Vigilance team checked the challan on spot and carried out a comparison exercise with the office copy of challan book at the store.

The suspicion that the challan books are deliberately manipulated and tampered turned out to be true when it was found that the office counter foil was blank.

The mal practice was that the empty counter foils were subsequently filled up showing inflated quantity of issue.

The surplus, so created is subsequent siphoned off, said a official heard out issued by VO authorities late this evening.

Detailed enquiry into the matter has been taken up.