Appoints IO in ongoing case against ex-BMO Beerwah
Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Mar 11: The authorities here have set up a committee to probe 2274 and other illegal appointments in Health and Medical Education (H&ME) Department which have come to the fore as per the Audit and Inspection department.
In this regard, an order has been issued concerning the formation of a committee which will be headed by the Director of Finance, H&ME department and will have four other officials as its members.
“Sanction is hereby accorded to the constitution of the committee to monitor the exercise of identifying and revisiting the illegal appointments in the Health Department as reported by the Audit and Inspection Department and all other illegal appointments,” the order issued read.
The H&ME has asked the committee to take a policy decision once and for all to settle the issue “by applying a common yardstick to 2274 employees.”
While the committee has been asked to submit its report within 30 days, it will also decide against the officers and officials, who were involved in the illegal appointments.
The committee will have the Director of Finance H&ME as its chairman, while the members include Additional Secretary to the Government H&ME (HRM), Additional Secretary, Department (Law) H&ME, Under Secretary to the Government H&ME (HRM) and Section Officer, H&ME (HRM).
It is to be noted here that the appointments made have come to the fore based on the H&ME’s manpower audit carried out earlier.
Out of the identified 2274 appointments, which have been termed “illegal”, nearly 300 appointments had clerical errors, which, upon their identification, were set aside. The appointments of the remaining will be now scrutinized to ascertain the facts as well as the role of the concerned officials.
However, it needs to be noted here that the appointments which are in question, their appointees are effortlessly, even as of now, drawing the salary. It was earlier directed to the concerned department to take up the cases individually with the Finance Department, but that was not done so far, paving a way for these appointees to continue to draw the salary.
Meanwhile, in another order, H&ME Department appointed an Inquiry Officer to enquire about the charges levelled against the then BMO Beerwah and others in case FIR no 22/2012 P/S VOK.
According to an order Arshad Ahmad Lone, Chief Accounts Officer in the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir has been appointed as Inquiry Officer.
The Inquiry Officer has been directed to submit a detailed enquiry report along with his recommendation within 30 days positively from the date of issuance of the order.
It is to be noted here that the case pertains to illegal appointments made by concerned BMO and others before him, regarding which a complaint was lodged in 2010 and before the inquiry got on, some of the clerks as well as the BMOs fell in the net.
There were 2 audits carried out by the authorities. The first one was conducted in 2011 which brought to the fore that there were a total of 89 posts while 102 employees were getting the salary.
Then in 2012, one more audit was carried out and this time the accounts were scrutinized which brought to the fore that an amount of Rs 1.49 cr was withdrawn from the state exchequer as salary in 2 years.
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