Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 23: In blatant violation of Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, which empowers Government to take action against the indicted officials, the reports of 146 departmental enquiries have been gathering dust in the power corridors during the past several years with action hardly being taken on the findings. The prevailing situation clearly indicates that the Government lacks the will to ensure accountability in the administration and its tall claims in this regard are only aimed at befooling the common masses.
According to the official data available with EXCELSIOR, a total of 156 departmental enquiries were ordered against various Gazetted officers for misconduct and violating norms during the past six to seven years. However, action on reports of such enquiries is still awaited in respect of 146 cases.
The Action Taken Reports from the concerned departments are awaited notwithstanding the fact that allegations against the indicted officers were of serious in nature and had they been taken to task the same would have deterrent effect on the other officers/officials, official sources said.
“Not only those departments, which had to take action on the basis of outcome of the departmental enquiries, even the General Administration Department headed by Chief Minister is responsible for encouraging the erring officers/officials as instead of exerting pressure for getting the action taken it preferred to watch the situation as mute spectator”, they added.
According to these sources, the process to review the departmental enquiries initiated against the officers allegedly involved in different cases of misconduct, which was set in motion in middle of 2012, got abandoned abruptly within months because of least interest from those at the corridors of the power despite the fact that such enquiries are aimed at ensuring discipline at administrative level and to take disciplinary action against the officers indulging in misconduct.
Expressing concern over such a large number of erring officers/officials remaining unpunished despite establishment of guilt, sources said, “there is no strong mechanism to ensure timely punishment to such officers, which is evident from the fact that initially the departmental enquiries get stretched and then action taken is awaited for years together”, adding “it is not understandable as to why the Chief Secretary has failed to ensure action in these 146 cases by passing necessary directions to the heads of the concerned departments”.
The allegations against officers involved in these 146 cases pertain to misappropriation of funds meant/sanctioned for developmental works, abuse of official position and causing huge loss to State exchequer, use of sub-standard material in construction work, violation of norms and rules in allotting land at prime location, drawal of payment by forging the signatures of the complainant, illegal appointment/regularization, demand of illegal gratification, irregularities/procedural lapses in submitting loan cases, tampering of revenue records, allotment of construction works to favourite persons, misuse of official position by taking journey abroad without authorization of the Government, sanctioning of leave in violation of leave rules, embezzlement of timber, violation of codal formalities and service rules, illegal auction of land, illegal transfer of land, transfer of huge chunk of Government land to land grabbers, backdoor appointments, drawal of fraud bills, black-marketing of kerosene oil, indulgence in corrupt practices, drawal of money against non-existent works, allotment of tenders to blue-eyed persons and granting illegal benefits to relatives against extraneous consideration etc.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Government of India had appointment Hota Committee, which suggested several measures for streamlining departmental enquiries. The recommendations of this committee were shared by the Department of Personnel and Training with all the States across the country.
Though several States implemented the recommendations of Hota Committee yet J&K Government has not given serious thought even to one of the suggestions till date. The most important recommendation of the Hota Committee was about preparation of panel of retired officers of highest integrity by all the departments for holding departmental enquiries.
Follow our WhatsApp channel