State Information Commissioner (SIC) Hafiz Usman ordered divisional commissioner of Moradabad to take necessary action to ensure eviction of several dozen of illegal occupants, who grabbed precious property belonging to State Brassware Corporation in prime location at Moradabad. Interestingly, the officials concerned had done nothing so far to get back their property despite the fact that Brassware Corporation is running into huge losses.
Giving above details here on Wednesday afternoon, Usman claimed that a resident of Moradabad, who failed to get reply of his application filed under Right to Information (RTI) Act with the office of Managing director of UP Brassware Corporation in Moradabad, had filed an appeal before him. He said that the complaint asked details of the property of the corporation in ``Peetal Basti’ scheme at Peetalpuri Colony on Rampur Road, which has been allegedly grabbed by ex-employees of the corporation and other persons.
Usman said that he directed divisional commissioner of Moradabad to look into the matter after which Mukesh Chandra, posted as sub-divisional magistrate of Sadar in Moradabad, had made an enquiry. Information Commissioner claimed that the enquiry report submitted to him in this week revealed that at least 41 of the former employees were residing illegally in the colony besides other illegal occupants. The report also pointed that the workshop of the Brassware Corporation, which has been constructed to promote the export of brassware utensils and handicrafts, has been also lying unutilized or grabbed.
Usman claimed that after finding that the huge government land and that too in prime location of Moradabad having estimated value running into several crores of rupees, had been illegally grabbed just due to negligence of the officials of Corporations, he directed the divisional commissioner now to ensure eviction and to return the land to the Government. Besides, instructions were also passed to identify the officers whose negligence facilitated the former employees to grab the prime land without facing any action.
Meanwhile stern warning by Hafiz Usman’s office helped a widow of a school teacher in Saharanpur to start getting family pension which has been stopped more than 32-months back without giving any notice or reason. Reports said that one Abdul Gaffaur, hailing from Baleda hamlet of Saharanpur, was working as assistant teacher in primary school at Khan Alampur. While serving as teacher, he died on duty on November 21, 1991. After his death, his widow Kaneez Begum started getting family pension but suddenly the Education Department stopped the pension in November 2012, without giving any reason. As Kaneez Begum is solely dependant of pension so he knocked the door of the official concerned but failed to get any relief. Facing financial crisis and getting no help from the officials of the Education Department, Kaneez Begum finally knocked the door of SIC, Hafiz Usman.
Usman, claimed here on Wednesday that he summoned records from Basic Siksha Adhikari Saharanpur’s office but when he got no reply, he issued warning not to just punish the officers concerned but also to imposed cash fine on them for their negligence. Usman said that after his warning, the officers swung into action and they not only released the family pension of the widow but also turned up at his office and informed him of the move. He said to have closed the matter after issuing warning to the officers that they would be punished if they would again found indulged in similar act in the future.