DVAC smells scams in Jaya’s two pet projects
Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com
Chennai: 11.06.2018
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has recently uncovered scams in two projects relating to tree plantation and solar-powered green houses that were launched by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa.
DVAC officials booked six forest department officials in Madurai on June 8 for irregularities and malpractices in the implementation of the ‘massive tree planting programme’ between 2013-14 and 2015-16. DVAC discovered that for raising a central nursery at Mattuthavani, three officials swindled ₹3.18 lakh by creating 19 forged vouchers. Only ₹40,025 was paid to the contractor. The state government decided in February 2014 to plant 66 lakh seedlings in 32 districts from 2013-16 to commemorate Jayalalithaa’s 66th birthday celebration.
6 BOOKED FOR CORRUPTION
Fake vouchers helped officials swindle ₹2 lakh seedlings fund
Allocation was to the tune of ₹49.18 crore.
The scheme was intended to increase the green cover, mitigate pollution and improve the environment. The Madurai division got ₹4.33 lakh every year, of which the social forestry department had recorded an expenditure of ₹3.59 lakh for preparing a nursery, procuring seeds and poly bags and the rest for buying soil nutrients.
Similarly, for planting seedlings, ₹1.99 lakh was swindled by the six officials by creating 23 forged vouchers, while only ₹25,849 was given to contractors, including for transportation and other works, DVAC said.
The accused have been booked for corruption, criminal conspiracy, breach of trust and forgery. In Tirunelveli, the DVAC on June 7 booked A Nagoor Kani, a former panchayat president of Veerasamuthiram village in Kadayam block, for misusing his powers to select three ineligible beneficiaries of the ‘solar powered green house scheme’.
The scheme was launched by Jayalalithaa in 2011 to help the poor in rural areas construct houses with their own solar-powered devices. The government was to give ₹1.8 lakh as per the scheme. The beneficiaries selected would be eligible only if they resided in the panchayat, were below the poverty line, owned a site not less than 300sqft in area and did not have any other pucca house in the village.
DVAC said Nagoor Kani had allegedly selected three beneficiaries who either had houses of their own or did not possess any land, thereby being ineligible under the scheme. They later refunded ₹38,002 each to the panchayat after this was discovered.
Kani has been booked for forgery and corruption by the DVAC.
Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com
Chennai: 11.06.2018
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has recently uncovered scams in two projects relating to tree plantation and solar-powered green houses that were launched by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa.
DVAC officials booked six forest department officials in Madurai on June 8 for irregularities and malpractices in the implementation of the ‘massive tree planting programme’ between 2013-14 and 2015-16. DVAC discovered that for raising a central nursery at Mattuthavani, three officials swindled ₹3.18 lakh by creating 19 forged vouchers. Only ₹40,025 was paid to the contractor. The state government decided in February 2014 to plant 66 lakh seedlings in 32 districts from 2013-16 to commemorate Jayalalithaa’s 66th birthday celebration.
6 BOOKED FOR CORRUPTION
Fake vouchers helped officials swindle ₹2 lakh seedlings fund
Allocation was to the tune of ₹49.18 crore.
The scheme was intended to increase the green cover, mitigate pollution and improve the environment. The Madurai division got ₹4.33 lakh every year, of which the social forestry department had recorded an expenditure of ₹3.59 lakh for preparing a nursery, procuring seeds and poly bags and the rest for buying soil nutrients.
Similarly, for planting seedlings, ₹1.99 lakh was swindled by the six officials by creating 23 forged vouchers, while only ₹25,849 was given to contractors, including for transportation and other works, DVAC said.
The accused have been booked for corruption, criminal conspiracy, breach of trust and forgery. In Tirunelveli, the DVAC on June 7 booked A Nagoor Kani, a former panchayat president of Veerasamuthiram village in Kadayam block, for misusing his powers to select three ineligible beneficiaries of the ‘solar powered green house scheme’.
The scheme was launched by Jayalalithaa in 2011 to help the poor in rural areas construct houses with their own solar-powered devices. The government was to give ₹1.8 lakh as per the scheme. The beneficiaries selected would be eligible only if they resided in the panchayat, were below the poverty line, owned a site not less than 300sqft in area and did not have any other pucca house in the village.
DVAC said Nagoor Kani had allegedly selected three beneficiaries who either had houses of their own or did not possess any land, thereby being ineligible under the scheme. They later refunded ₹38,002 each to the panchayat after this was discovered.
Kani has been booked for forgery and corruption by the DVAC.
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