Three Engineers Taken into Custody
Diplomat Correspondent
Srinagar, (DD): The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered two separate FIRs related to large-scale irregularities in dredging operations at Hokersar Wetland and illegal building permissions granted by the former Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA).
Three officials — including two Executive Engineers and an Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) of the Flood Spill Channel Division, Narbal — have been taken into custody for questioning.
Addressing a press conference, SSP ACB Javid Hassan Bhat said the bureau registered FIR No. 07/2025 following a detailed probe into a joint surprise check conducted earlier to investigate alleged misconduct during the dredging works at Hokersar.
The inquiry revealed serious violations by public officials and the contractor company M/S Reach Dredging Limited. Tenders had been invited in July 2018 under NIT No. 01 of 2018-19 for the construction of a channel through the Hokersar Wetland. The contract, amounting to over Rs 20.55 crore, was awarded with specific terms prohibiting the dumping of dredged material within the wetland. However, the execution deviated significantly from advertised conditions, with major work carried out based on altered parameters without proper authorization.
Furthermore, transportation leads ranging from 8 to 18 kilometers were unjustly grouped together, resulting in inflated transportation costs and undue payments. Much of the excavated material was reportedly not disposed of in accordance with tender norms, causing a financial loss of approximately Rs 2.29 crore to the state exchequer — excluding additional losses from unpaid royalties and environmental damage to the wetland.
The officials involved — Siraj-ud-Din Shah and Ghulam Ahmad Beigh (then Executive Engineers), and Irfan Ahmad Reshi (then AEE) — allegedly colluded with the contractor, compromising the purpose of the dredging project. They have been taken into custody, and further legal proceedings are underway.
In a separate case, the ACB has also registered FIR No. 08/2025 regarding illegal building permissions in the Gagribal area.
According to the ACB, the case was triggered by a complaint from the Intizamia Committee of Masjid Shareef, Gagribal Boulevard, alleging unauthorized construction by a local resident, Iftikhar Sadiq. It was found that multi-storey hostel-like structures were illegally raised on approximately 12 kanals of custodian land, in violation of the J&K Building By-Laws of 2011.
Despite initial permission being granted for only three hostels, two more were later sanctioned — flouting regulations that mandate at least 3 kanals of land per hostel for 50 students. The built structures deviated significantly from approved plans and resembled resorts rather than hostels.
The investigation has revealed a broader conspiracy involving officials from LAWDA, the Town Planning Organization, and the Custodian Evacuee Property Department, who allegedly facilitated the violations in exchange for personal gains.
Both FIRs have been formally registered, and investigations are ongoing. The ACB has stated that although certain delays in the process were due to challenges in retrieving records — some of which were lost in the 2014 floods — the bureau remains committed to cracking down on corruption and holding all those involved accountable.(DD)
