Vijay Mohan
Tribune News ServiceChandigarh, December 2
The Army allegedly diverted funds meant to construct a fire-fighting pool, safety aids and allied facilities at an ammunition depot in Hisar to construct a swimming pool adjacent to a Major-General’s house.
While the Army is conducting its own inquiry, the audit authorities have also taken note of the matter, which involved misappropriation of funds of over Rs 23 lakh. The Major-General near whose house the pool was built has since moved out on posting.
Sources reveal that the General Officer Commanding, 10 Corps, Bathinda, Lt-Gen N.S. Brar, had conducted an inquiry in November after the Army received complaints in this regard. Copies of the complaint were also reportedly sent to the President, Defence Minister and the Members of Parliament.
It is learnt that the matter has also been taken up by the Headquarters, South-Western Command (SWC). A senior officer at the Army Headquarters revealed that the matter was on the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, SWC, Lt-Gen P.K. Singh’s agenda during his meeting with the Chief of the Army Staff, Gen J.J. Singh this week. Whether it was actually featured in discussions is not known.
It is reliably learnt that a note has been put up by the audit authorities to appraise the Director-General Audit (Defence Services) and the Comptroller and Auditor General of the “irregular” construction of assets.
“In the garb of providing static water tanks and allied services for fire fighting, a swimming pool was constructed which resulted in the misuse of delegated powers of the sanctioning authority,” the audit note stated.
According to the sources, the pool is just 200 meters away from the Flag Staff House, and about 4 km from the ammunition depot where the original fire fighting pool was supposed to have been built.
