High-handedness of the Chief Agriculture Officer Poonch has spoiled the department’s credibility, Big nexus in the CSS/HADP project; Will the Chief Secretary, Secretary Agriculture act?

High-handedness of the Chief Agriculture Officer Poonch has spoiled the department’s credibility, Big nexus in the CSS/HADP project; Will the Chief Secretary, Secretary Agriculture act?

SALIL RAINA

(POONCH TODAY NEWS)

POONCH: Over the years, the agriculture department has orchestrated numerous scams under various schemes. However, these schemes have remained hidden from the public due to the non-professional nature of most journalists, who lack the investigative journalism skills necessary to comprehend the operations of the department and its various malpractices.

As a result, the concerned agriculture officers, over the years, looted government money under various schemes without any fear of being caught, as the majority of schemes in the department are on a seasonal basis. But “POONCH TODAY,” because of its pure 100% professional journalism, became the first media platform that has investigated the modus operandi of some tainted officers of the agriculture department who wreaked havoc on government funding under different schemes over the years and has brought one of the several wrong practices in the public domain, particularly of the agriculture department Poonch. The Chief Agriculture Officer, who always remained under a question mark during the tenure of former Deputy Commissioner Poonch because of his high-handedness, has fully spoiled the department’s credibility on the ground. The officer in question was always given a cold shoulder by the former IAS Deputy Commissioner Poonch on account of poor performance. Highly placed sources in the administration told “POONCH TODAY” that the concerned Chief Agriculture Officer, along with some blue-eyed junior officials, runs a big nexus in the department and used to direct farmers to purchase desirable items from some selected establishments, and those who fail to do the same never get their cases completed. If a farmer wants to buy quality machinery items or tractors from other shops or shops outside the district even with low rates, the department never passed their formalities and used to direct them to purchase desirable items from some selected establishments because the top department officers have a fixed share per case from those establishments. Some subordinate officials, who are very close to the CAO, reportedly are the masterminds of every foul play under the HADP (all schemes), CSS, and UT Capex. The Chief Agriculture Officer always listens to them (blue-eyed) on every matter, and this nexus between senior and some junior officials has spoiled the department’s output and credibility on the ground. Field staff over the years prepared fake achievement reports, and those reports were submitted to successive Deputy Commissioners and top officers of the government to get further benefits. There are a number of official proofs available with “POONCH TODAY,” which show that the C.A.O. used to harass his maximum subordinate employees unnecessarily, and the whole department is not happy with his working style, said an employee. Sometimes, the C.A.O. used to direct officials, including female staff, to sit in the office up to late hours, and when some officials raised questions about why to remain in the office after the duty hours, the C.A.O. used to harass them. Many employees have become psychologically disturbed due to the high-handedness of the Chief Agriculture Office. In one of his official letters, which is available with “POONCH TODAY,”  the C.A.O. admitted that only 30% of expenditures have been incurred under HADP and other schemes and directed the subordinate officials to utilize the 100% funds before September 30, 2024, or else he will take tough action against poor performers. It’s impossible for any official to utilize the funds before the given date, and it seems that the C.A.O. has nothing to do with works being completed on the ground as the majority of employees were on election duties. He just wanted to achieve the target on the paper to impress his superiors, even on fake achievement reports. It clearly shows that massive scams have been scripted in the agriculture department, which remained beneath the carpet for years. In sanctioning polygreen houses to the farmers, a few officials used to get a hefty share from the beneficiaries. In some schemes, farmers who are free to purchase items needed from anywhere are influenced by the tainted officers, and in return, those officials purchase all items through GEM with the main agenda of getting commission from the supplier, and when they get the items, they give those items to the farmers. It shows that the innocent farmers are also cheated this way. The Poonch district recently got a new IAS DC, and the same C.A.O. was seen playing tricks to be in his good books and was seen giving uncalled for advice on various issues to the DC Poonch to show himself as extra intelligent. A low-ranking employee posted in the administration pleading anonymity said, “The C.A.O. thinks that he is the most intelligent officer in the administration, and whatever he says is always true. He just wants targets achieved on the paper to show his superiors sitting at the top level that he is an efficient officer.” He further added, “Many subordinate officials were harassed to clear the formalities under various schemes, including bills, in the absence of works done under various schemes on the ground, but when some subordinate officials refused, he started harassing them. On account of his harassment, some officers went on protest leave because they never wanted to clear all the formalities, including fake bills to dodge the government. A senior department official who is going to retire soon was directed by the C.A.O. to adopt the same process of showing works done on paper and related issues, but he refused to do so without having any activity on the ground.” Facing embarrassment, the C.A.O. also harassed him by saying that he would project him before the government as deadwood. The main target of the C.A.O. is to get further good postings by assuring the top authorities that he has achieved all the targets on papers. In some HADP projects, like hi-tech poly houses and low-cost poly green houses, the department has a fixed connection with the concerned companies that used to establish poly green houses. In hi-tech houses, there is a huge subsidy in double digits, while in low-cost poly green houses, there is nearly Rs 1.5 lac subsidy. The said companies never fulfill all the formalities on the ground because the companies have a fixed understanding with the top department officials.  For example, a polygreen house needs various desired technicalities to be fulfilled, but the majority of them are ignored, and the polygreen houses therefore are not established as per the government guidelines, and it clearly shows that the main motto of this big nexus, which is operating in the agriculture department, is only to loot government money in a smart way. The field staff members are also hand in glove with the top officers and the concerned companies, and over the years, they hoodwinked every top officer of the administration and the government. The three-stage process of establishing polygreen houses and payments to farmers and companies requires various technicalities, but the department loves to violate maximum conditions because the concerned officers are hand in glove with the designated companies. In maximum schemes of HADP, rules and desired formalities were thrown to the wind. Tainted officials were also seen saying that they are experts in managing officials of third-party inspection teams who used to inspect HADP works on the ground. Moreover, in the case of seed purchasing, the department officials also have a fixed understanding with the companies. Many times, seeds were sold to the market by the department officials. No proper awareness drives were conducted over the years under different schemes, but the concerned officials used to prepare fake reports on the paper and, as a result, gave massive setbacks to the government exchequer. For years, the departmental officials prepared fake achievement reports, and this modus operandi never came into the public domain. The funds meant for one scheme were used for other purposes. But nobody in the government ordered an inquiry commission through the anti-graft agencies or by any means to check the ground reality of the department. In bee-rearing cases, the tainted officials always purchase beekeeping boxes in advance in violation of rules and have a fixed commission per box from the selected companies. All works shown on official papers by the agriculture department Poonch under HADP/CSS/UT Capex need proper inquiry from the government of J&K on the ground to detect fake achievement reports prepared by the concerned officers for years. (To be continued…..….)