Giving impetus to the ongoing anti corruption campaign in Jammu & Kashmir, the Anti Corruption Bureau on Thursday registered an FIR against former Jammu and Kashmir Bank Chairman, Parvaiz Ahmad and several others for violating norms while allotting a housekeeping contract to the tune of over 6 crores to a Mumbai based company.
According to a statement issued by the Anti Corruption Bureau, “in the year 2015 J&K Bank with headquarters at Srinagar came out with a Pan India tender for housekeeping services. Later, the tender for housekeeping of offsite ATMs, was allotted to a Mumbai based Company i.e, M/S SILA Solutions Pvt. Ltd, by not following proper tendering norms”.
“On verification by the ACB it was revealed that J&K Bank officials in contravention of tender conditions negotiated the rates with M/S SILA Solutions Pvt Ltd. The tender was awarded to M/S SILA Solutions Pvt Ltd in gross violation of General Financial Rules (GFR)” the ACB statement added.
The statement further stated “a FIR has been registered against accused Surjeet Singh Seghal, the then Executive President J&K Bank (now retired), Parvaiz Ahmad, the then Chairman of J&K Bank (now retired), Feroz Ahmad, the then Assistant Vice President; and Sahil Vora and Rishabh Vora, Directors, M/s SILA Solutions Pvt. Ltd. along with the residents of 508 Olympus Apartments 5C, Altamont Road Mumbai-400026 on the allegation that the officers/officials of J&K Bank Ltd. awarded tenders of housekeeping to a Mumbai based Company M/s SILA Solutions Pvt. Ltd by not following the proper tendering norms and that has led to the losses to the bank of the tune of Rs. 6,29,56,575/- from the date of award of contract”.
As per the contract of M/S SILA Solutions Pvt Ltd amongst other conditions included ATM cleaning and deployment of janitors.
The additional management fee awarded to M/S SILA Solutions Pvt Ltd by J&K Bank was not part of the original tender. The loss on the account of the tender has worked out to be more than Rs 6 crs. The loss is likely to go up as investigation progresses.
Earlier, on September 17, 2020 P/S ACB Srinagar had conducted search at the residential house of Feroz Ahmad Kaloo, Assistant Vice President J&K Bank S/O Mohammad Maqbool Kaloo situated at Mohalla Muma Khan (Kathidarwaza), opposite Psychiatric Hospital Rainwari Srinagar. Incriminating documents were seized during searches. The investigation of the case is in progress, added ACB statement.