By JKGN Staff
SRINAGAR: Running multiple NGOs and known for availing funds worth crores under various centrally sponsored schemes because of close proximity with officers and politicians in centre, Advocate Zaheer Abbas Bhatti was arrested by Anti Corruption Bureau in embezzlement of Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan funds.
Team of ACB arrested Zaheer Abbas Bhatti s/o Muneer Hussain, r/o House no. 143, Lane 2, Narwal Bala, Bathindi, Jammu, Director of NGO namely Social Welfare of India in case FIR N0.12/2020 U/S 5 (1) (C), 5 (1) (d), 5 (2) PC Act-2006 and 120 RPC of ACB Srinagar Branch pertaining to the allegations of fraud, corruption and embezzlement of public money in Swachch Bharat Abhiyaan Scheme.
Pertinently, Bhatti, this year was also arrested by CBI in March pertaining to a case wherein he remained in custody in 2014 in case FIR No 6/2014 P/s CBI ACB Jammu registered U/s 120-B, 420/467/468/471 RPC for swindling of government funds amounting to Rs 75 lacs meant for the poor artisans in the Rajouri district.
Interestingly, once a peon in government school at Rajouri to owner of various NGOs, today Bhatti owns a palatial bungalow worth crores in Bhathindi in Jammu, one in Sonawar in Srinagar and a similar in Punjab, revealed sources.
In the instant case, a Joint Surprise Check (JSC) was conducted by ACB to look into the above allegations against an NGO namely M/S Social Welfare India and officers/officials of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) pertaining to the construction of Individual House Hold Latrines (IHHL) units under Swatch Bharat Mission (SBM Scheme).
It was established in JSC that vide an agreement, 218 IHHL (@ Rs. 17490/ IHHL) and 09 twin storage pits (@ Rs. 12,000/Twin Storage Pit) were to be constructed by the above mentioned NGO and citing the work done, the said NGO submitted a completion certificate in respect of aforesaid constructions appending therein the list of beneficiaries.
The commissioner SMC got the matter verified through engineering wing of SMC comprising of the then XEN, JE and submitted physical verification report to the commissioner that the said IHHL and twin storage pits have been constructed as per SBM/SMC guidelines, subsequent to which an amount of Rs. 38,81,612/= was released in favour said NGO.
It has come to fore during JSC that not a single unit has been constructed by the said NGO and engineering wing of SMC submitted false completion/verification report to higher-ups facilitating release of huge amount of money in favour of the said NGO against the non-existing works.
The officers/officials of SMC in league with the said NGO by sheer abuse of their official positions and for their own pecuniary benefits submitted false completion/verifications report thereby facilitating the release of Rs. 38,81,612/= thereby causing huge loss to state exchequer and undue benefits upon the said NGO and themselves.
Accordingly case FIR N0.12/2020 was registered in ACB Srinagar Branch against the officers/officials of SMC which included then Executive Engineer SMC namely Maroof Ahmad, then Junior Engineer SMC namely Javaid Iqbal Shah, and office bearers of said NGO viz Zaheer Abbas Bhatti (Director M/S Social Welfare of India-NGO) and Ishrat Ashraf Shah, (General Secretary M/S Social Welfare of India-NGO).