Srinagar: The Comptroller Auditor General of India in its report revealed that an amount of Rs 3.55 crore as a part of compensation for fire victims in Anantnag, where the army ammunition depot gutted on August 11 in 2007 causing damage to the local population has not been released yet.
The information was shared by the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) India in the report about the compensation to the fire victims of Khundru Achabal in Anantnag after an Army ammunition depot back in 2007 was engulfed by fire.
According to the report, the consequent to the fire incident of Khundru Army Ammunition Depot on 11 August 2007, Ministry of Defence, Government of India (GoI), released Rs 26.74 crore in favour of Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag for disbursement among the victims of the fire incident.
CAG said that the scrutiny of the records (February 2020) revealed that compensation amounting to Rs 23.19 crore had been disbursed to the affected population under different categories up to December 2009.
“Thereafter, no payment on account of compensation was made,” it said.
It said that the balance amount of Rs 3.55 crore towards compensation remained un-disbursed as of March 2019 in the Bank Account of the DDO for almost a decade and had accumulated to Rs 5.41 crore including interest.
The CAG also said that the specific reasons for the compensation remaining undisbursed were neither on record nor provided to audit by the DDO concerned.
As the funds were provided by the Ministry of Defence, the undisbursed, unutilised funds were required to be refunded to GOI, the CAG maintained.
“Although this was brought to the notice (February 2020) of the Department/ State Government, their replies were awaited (September 2020),” the report reads—(KNO)
