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SAC orders inquiry against Saroori

SYED BASHARAT. Dated: 5/30/2013 9:02:07 AM

SRINAGAR, May 29: The State Accountability Commission (SAC) has ordered a regular inquiry against G M Saroori, former minister Public Works Department (R&B) and the senior Congress leader allegedly being involved in allotment of works without floating the tenders.
In its order, the SAC Coram comprising of Justice (Retired) Y P Nargotra chairperson and Justice (Retired) Hakim Imtiyaz Hussain, has said that there sufficient grounds to direct a regular inquiry against Saroori, who has been directed to file his reply within six weeks.
The order has been passed following a complaint filed by Saquib Mushtaq a resident of Qamarwari Srinagar. The complainant has leveled various allegations against Saroori including that of corruption and misuse of his official position.
“We have gone through the complaint, the documents filed in support of it and reply received from the respondent. The allegations against the respondent (Saroori) are that while holding the portfolio of R&B ministry he misused his official position and is guilty of corruption, favoritism and nepotism,” reads the SAC order.
Pertinently, Saquib has attached copies of communications received from and information supplied by executive engineers of Anantnag, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Pulwama, Chadoora, Uri, Baramulla, Kupwara, Sopore and Handwara to his complaint.
Saroori, according to SAC order, has denied the allegations leveled by the complainant. “It is stated by him (Saroori) in the reply submitted on November 26, 2012 that being a public representative he has tried his best to follow the rules and at no point of time has misused his official position and that everything has been done by him in a transparent manner without any favoritism and nepotism.”
In his reply, Saroori has said that the issue relates to the execution of works by the department concerned, the department is fully equipped with experts and technical staff and it is for them to seen the mode of execution. “The job of tender process and allotment of works and procedure required for the same was to be considered by the department. He (Saroori) has stated that allegations leveled against him are without any basis and have been filed with a malafide intention,” reads the SAC order.
However, the complainant has kept information received from various executive engineers regarding allotment of works on record before the Commission. “From the annexures placed on file it would appear that the works have been allotted and got executed by the concerned executive engineers without proper tenders and without following due procedure. The works contained in the list supplied goes in thousands. The executive engineers concerned are answerable in law, for allotment of these works without tenders,” reads the SAC order.
It adds that though the respondent (Saroori) has denied his role in these allotments yet, the Commission is not inclined to absolve him of his in-action into the matter in view of the fact that being the minister-in-charge of the department concerned he was bound to keep a vigil and control on the working of the department in his portfolio.
“Going by the number of the contracts allotted without inviting tenders it prima facie appears that getting the works executed without inviting tenders was the norm then and to which the respondent was a mute spectator. His inaction, therefore, falls within sub section (2) of section 2 of Jammu and Kashmir SAC Act which is cognizable in term of section 9 of the Act. We, therefore, find sufficient grounds to direct a regular inquiry against the respondent (Saroori),” reads the order.