This issue has potential more than that Presumptive Loss of mere 1.76 lac crores. It has corrupted the top echelon of the armed forces ( country's last bastion), the controllers of Defence accounts ( country's primier watchdog for the ministry of defence), The top scientists at the DRDO, the not so top quality assurance deptt of the defence deptt .The amount involved in this seemingly inoccuous running of Unit Run Canteens has initiated a rat race in the armed forces where each and every officers , paersonnel below officers rank is seen very very GLAD to be employed in those sedentary purely commercial activities.Even the judges of the so called highly respected Supreme Court are also not spared being influenced by its clouts. Verdict delivered by a three bench supreme court judges in a civil case No 3495 of 2005 decided only on 28 Apr 2009 ten days before Dr Prsayat .J who wrote the judgement retired on the status of the URC employees. That judgement is the fountain head of inspiration for the corrupt to the core armed forces generals and their equivalents, the Defence Audit , the Bureaucrats and the political bosses. None in the govt outside the govt or from the opposition front has take slightest notice on this very extraordinary piece of Supreme Court judgement . To me the judgement by the three member bench was bought by the vast so called regimentally held private fund created from public money.
The CAG who has shown so much courage to take on the Gandhi-Nehru might by raking in 1.76 lac crores of presumptive losses in 2G is abosultely silent on the issue of such an awful supreme court verdict as in the case of Civil case No 3495 of 2005.It is CAG which had earlier stated in reply to my RTI query that URCs are regimental institutions privately managed privately funded and beyond oversight committee hence out of their domain. It was in Aug 2008. I have their replies in black and whites.And in the year 2010 they claimed that URCs are extention.com of Canteen Stores Department which is of course a department of govt and hence they ahve the right to audit the URC documents to see whether spending of public money is fully justified.The report on CSD is available in the public domain.
The PAC chaired by the same Dr Joshy who supposedly guided CAG to inflate presumptive loss to pull down the elected govt at the centre has in its report claimed in the year 2011 that URC selling CSD goods are infact extension.com of the CSD hence instrumentality of the govt of India.But Armed forces , the bureaucrats , the political bosses, the primier watchdog audit departmet care two hoots for PAC's report. Mind it all those things happened after Dr Prasayat.J on behalf of three extraordinary judges gave the verdict on Case No 3495 of 2005. That judgement is now the most abused by the Mr Hon'Ble ML Sharma , IC in CIC who was retained in the same position for years.The CAG is the most affected by this judgement as its contradicts their stated stand on the issue of CSD canteens since their change of hearts in 2010.
It is more than a mere Bofor's Howirzer for the CAG if they wish to file a curative petition against the verdict of Dr Prasayat.J ( on behalf of 3 members judges of the SC. But CAG is taking its time from the real issue. They are well awre of the facts that there are 4500 URCs selling CSD goods ( another 2000 added kind courtesy of General JJ Singh ref Army Order 19/2003). With those URCs selling CSD as nucleus there are not less than another 15000 Unit Run Canteens/ commercial ventures deom beauty parlour to superMalls,Nursery to Army colleges are being allowed to run in the defence premises inside defence accommodations. Mind it none of these ( whether URCs selling CSD goods/liquors or URCs selling non-CSD items / services are authorised to armed forces. No defence accomodation is therefore built for those private ventures from the public money.
But CAG is well aware that each URC ranging from 3 Sq metre to 5000 sq meters are being opearted from the built in defence premises. It requires no missile technology to calculate how much defence accommodation is now being occupied for such URCs. It is obvious that defence accommodations are being built in the name of housing sophisticated military arsenals but used for running URC for commercial gains.Where are those sophisticated military arsenals are being kept? Out in the open so that they rusted early requiring their premature replacements.Wonderful isn't it. And you know how much such sophisticated accommodations for sophisticated weapons are worth? The local commanders in collusion with the ministry of Defence and the Defence Audit has taken the responsibility on to themselves to decide the rents or the licence fee as it is known in the armed forces. It is mere Rs 5 per Square meters per month.at Secunderabad.I have all the documents to show CAG about these aspects, if they are willing. Authorities at Delhi is damn scared and denying my every efforts to get the info in this respect.
How much the armed forces get from such extraordinary gesture of the ministry of Defence to levy mere Rs 5 per sq mtr per month. It is on an average 200 times the licence fee recvered per sq mtr of built up defence accommodations. Where that contract money goes? It is merged with that so called private fund of the armed forces and the all knowing defence Deptt, the officials at the MoD as well as at the CAG remains a muke spectator. How long this will be allowed is the question?
My question is therefore to the learned CAG and his staff when he is submitting a curative petition against the 3 members judgents which is being misused a handle to shield all nefarious activities in converting newly constructed defence buildings into URCs for commercial purposes?
