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RTI reply reveals unpaid balances spanning contracts from 2020-21 to 2025-26; calls grow for special probe into recovery mechanism
Year-wise Lorry Adda contracts raise serious questions over recovery, accountability
FROM EDITOR DESK
RAJOURI, SEPT 07:-A reply furnished by the Municipal Council Rajouri under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed that more than ₹1.21 crore remains outstanding in connection with yearly Lorry Adda contracts, raising serious questions over the Council’s financial management and recovery mechanism.
As per the RTI documents, the Municipal Council allotted Lorry Adda contracts on a yearly basis from 2020-21 onwards. The records show substantial differences between the contract amounts and amounts received in several years, resulting in significant outstanding balances.
The year-wise details indicate pending amounts of approximately:
2020-21: ₹29.51 lakh
2021-22: ₹21.25 lakh
2022-23: ₹14.00 lakh
2023-24: ₹23.54 lakh
2024-25: Nil
2025-26: ₹33.00 lakh
The cumulative outstanding amount reflected in the RTI reply comes to around ₹1.21 crore.
The disclosure has triggered questions over why the Municipal Council failed to recover such a substantial amount from Lorry Adda contractors within the respective contract periods and what action was initiated against contractors who allegedly failed to clear the dues.
Questions are also being raised over the functioning of successive Executive Officers/Chief Executive Officers and other concerned officials. If the Lorry Adda contracts were allotted annually, stakeholders want to know why outstanding dues from previous years were allegedly allowed to continue and whether fresh contracts were considered without first ensuring recovery of earlier liabilities.
The matter warrants a detailed examination of the tender/allotment records, agreement conditions, collection records, receipts, bank deposits, contractor payments, penalties and recovery notices for each year.
Residents and social activists have demanded that the J&K Government order a special investigation/audit into the Lorry Adda contracts of Municipal Council Rajouri, covering the past several years and fixing responsibility wherever financial or procedural violations are established.
They have also urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the concerned Urban Local Bodies authorities to ensure that public revenue is protected and that responsibility is fixed for any negligence in recovery.
The RTI disclosure by itself does not establish a scam or official-contractor nexus. However, the size and duration of the outstanding amounts make an independent inquiry essential to determine whether there was negligence, violation of contract conditions or any other irregularity.
It is pertinent to mention that the then CEO of Municipal Council Rajouri was also attached by the higher authorities following allegations of irregularities, including alleged illegal dumping of garbage along the riverbank and at the Rajouri Bus Stand. The development had further raised questions over the functioning and accountability of the Municipal Council and its senior officials.
These circumstances make the demand for a comprehensive and independent probe into the Council’s contractual, financial and administrative affairs even more significant.
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