Audit report slams Army chief, Govt to investigate

New Delhi: The Defence Ministry would probe alleged irregularities in procuring provisions during Army Chief Gen Deepak Kapoor's tenure in Jammu and Kashmir, Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju said on Saturday.

The Ministry has taken a serious note of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report criticising Gen Kapoor for making frivolous purchases like bush cutters and grass cutting machines during his tenure as General Officer Commanding,

Northern Command, Raju told reporters here.

Replying to a question about alleged involvement of five army officials, including a Brigadier, who were charge-sheeted by Jammu and Kashmir police for siphoning off kerosene and diesel meant for troops in Siachen, he said these were "unfortunate" incidents and action would be taken against the officials found guilty in the inquiry.

In its report, the CAG accused General Kapoor and other senior officers of spending huge amounts on “frivolous purchases” from funds allocated for emergency use in counter-insurgency and other special operations.

The CAG in its report to Parliament said Gen Kapoor as the Northern Army Commander in 2005-06 had procured items worth Rs 6.89 crore which were not related to urgent requirements of counter-insurgency operations, internal security duties or in defending Siachen glacier.

The CAG has criticised Gen Kapoor and three other Army Commanders for "wrongly exercising financial powers delegated" to them and spending huge funds running into crores of rupees on non-essential purchases.

"Most of the items purchased were only to facilitate day-to-day routine duties of the Army and these were issued to forces which were not actively engaged in anti-militancy operations," the report said.

The CAG has taken strong exception as these funds had been delegated by the Defence Minister under special financial powers to purchase crucial items for meeting immediate requirements of counter-insurgency and similar other operations.

The CAG has also passed strictures against General Officers Commanding-in-Chief of key Western Command and South-Western Command.