Srinagar, Jan 14: Following the registration of cases against two senior officials of the Srinagar Smart City Limited (SSCL) for accumulating assets beyond their known income sources, the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Jammu and Kashmir initiated two Preliminary Enquiries (PEs) concerning the misuse of Devari stones and the employment of substandard materials in the significant development project.
The first PE was initiated at the ACB Police Station in Srinagar after receiving credible information regarding the misappropriation of materials such as Devari stones—commonly used for construction and landscaping in Kashmir—path tiles, and iron grills within Srinagar City.
“There are suspicions that these materials were either not accounted for or were allegedly sold in the open market for personal enrichment during the renovation and beautification efforts of the Srinagar Smart City Ltd. project, instead of being stored by the relevant Engineering Division,” the ACB noted.
The second PE was also registered at the ACB Police in Srinagar in relation to the use of inferior materials for ongoing construction activities on Foreshore Road in Nishat, Srinagar, which includes a cycle track, footpath along Dal Lake, and viewing decks from Nishat to Naseem Bagh Public Health Centre.
“The officials of Srinagar Smart City Ltd., in collusion with the beneficiary contractor, purposefully neglected mandatory procedures, thus compromising the quality of the construction,” the ACB stated.
The investigation into both Preliminary Enquiries is currently ongoing.
On January 10, the Chief Financial Officer, Sajid Yousuf Bhat, along with the Executive Engineer of SSCL, Zahoor Ahmad Dar, were charged with owning disproportionate assets.
