Apni Party alleges fraud in Flood Management Programme, demands inquiry

Srinagar, Jun 15: Expressing serious concern over the alleged dismal results of work done under Rs 399 crore Flood Management Programme (FMP) in Kashmir division, the Apni Party (AP) on Tuesday said that after the 2014 deluge a single private company which was allotted multiple projects for dredging and allied works has so far shown insignificant results.
A spokesman of the AP alleged that the situation on ground remains gloomy and there are reports of a vicious nexus between some high ranked officials and the private firm that has been bestowed with allotment of dredging work of river Jhelum (Rs 399 Cr under FMP-I) and Wular Lake. However, the requisite work done on ground is abysmal thereby causing a huge loss to the State exchequer,” the spokesman said.
He said it was also emphasized that the dredging works in River Jhelum under FMP1 were marred by controversies, as the concerned dredging firm was criticized for its unscientific approach and delays in executing the contract.
“The same firm was considered for black listing, however, contrarily it bagged a second contract apparently to increase the carrying capacity of Flood Spill Channel (reconstruction) at Hokersar Wetland,” he said.
The Spokesperson expressed amazement over the absence of any monitoring mechanism that could have physically verified the work done on the prestigious projects.
“The clandestine manner adopted by the concerned authorities while conferring the tenders for important projects is evident from the fact that the same company has been allotted two more contracts for Wular Rejuvenation Program by the Forest Department that are worth over 125 Crores. The authorities seem to be oblivious to this entire nexus that may have dangerous ramifications for the people,” he said.
He said that the Lt Governor led government must take cognizance of this scam and order a high level inquiry to expose the culprits who are causing huge loss to the state exchequer.