Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 1: Sending loud and clear message to the officers on corruption, the State Government today ordered termination of services of 63 Government officers including some KAS officers, two Chief Engineers, one of whom had been posted as Chief Engineer, PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Jammu only last month by the State Cabinet, Managing Director of State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) and declared that the process to remove deadwood and corrupt officers from the Government would now become continuous process.
Though the Government considerably raised ranks of the officers dismissed from the services from the previous dispensations, which used to remove only clerks and patwaris on the name of tainted officers, the list still fell below the expectations of the people as not even a single IAS, IPS and KPS officers figured in it. Significantly, the highest ranking police officer dismissed from the services was an Inspector, which gave an impression that everything was well in the Police Department beyond the rank of Inspector.
Still, according to official sources, this is for the first time when the process to remove deadwood was first initiated by former Governor Jagmohan that officers of the rank of Managing Director, Chief Engineers, Additional Secretary in the Civil Secretariat etc figured in the list of those removed from the services.
“The drive against corruption has begun. It will go on. It will become continuous process in future. The Government will continue to terminate services of the corrupt officers,” Education Minister and Government spokesman Naeem Akhtar said.
Sources said the Government last night sent individual termination letters to all 63 officers along with mandatory pay of three months and told them through the official letters issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) that they have been declared as deadwood and given forced retirement from the services.
The Government, sources said, has taken all legal precautions to ensure that its order stands the legal scrutiny.
Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed gave his nod to termination of 63 officers last evening after getting the report prepared by high level committee headed by Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey and comprising Principal Secretary to Chief Minister BB Vyas, Home Secretary RK Goyal, Commissioner/Secretary GAD Gazanffar Hussain and Law Secretary Mohammad Ashraf Mir.
KAS and other high ranking officers dismissed from the services included Babu Ram, Additional Secretary, Social Welfare Department in Civil Secretariat, Shamim Ahmad Laherwal, Director General, Library and Research, Abdul Rashid Bhat, Joint Registrar, Handicrafts, Mohammad Yusuf Bhat, Secretary, State Commission for Women, Bhumesh Sharma, attached with GAD, JS Tandon, MD SRTC, Prem Nath, Chief Engineer, PHE Jammu, KK Gupta, Chief Engineer, CVPP Limited Jammu, Kamal Mahindru, Additional Provident Fund Commissioner, Jammu and Satish Khajuria, Chief Enforcement Officer, Jammu Municipal Corporation and Hamid Wani, Chief Town Planner, Jammu Development Authority (JDA).
Significantly, the State Cabinet had posted Prem Nath as the Chief Engineer, PHE Jammu last month only.
Dr Manoj Bhagat, who was caught by the Vigilance Organisation taking Rs 20,000 corruption during his posting as Medical Superintendent in District Hospital Kathua and is presently attached with Director Health Services Jammu, Dr Riyaz Ahmad Dar, Medical Officer, Medical Supplies Corporation and formerly posted as Medical Superintendent in Super Specialty Hospital, Jammu and Dr Fayaz Ahmad Banday, Medical Officer, PHC Surasyar, have also been removed from the services.
Sources said of 63 officers and officials, whose services have been terminated, 25 had been trapped by various anti-graft bodies, mainly the State Vigilance Organisation while 11 others figured in disproportionate assets cases. Twenty seven others were found corrupt and indulging in malpractices by the anti-graft bodies.
As far as Police Department was concerned, the Government has dismissed only five officers, the highest rank being the Inspector while two others were ASIs and two head constables, which has raised question mark over the list as to whether entire police brass in the State above the rank of Inspector were neat and clean.
Further by not removing even a single IAS, IPS and KPS officers, the Government has itself raised question mark over the list as the IAS officers against whom there were serious strictures passed by the Courts have also been spared. The Government had to take permission of Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) before dismissing IAS or IPS officers but, according to sources, if a strong case is made out, the permission is granted.
Inspector Ghulam Hassan Kamal, who was till last year posted as SHO Bakshi Nagar and Satwari police stations but had once been trapped by the Vigilance Organisation red handed taking corruption as SHO Bari Brahamana police station, ASI Ranjit Singh, posted in Nagrota police station, ASI Abdul Kabir, attached with DPL Ganderbal, Amar Pal Singh, Head Constable, Anti Hijacking, Jammu and Feroz Ahmad Najar, Head Constable, Railways wing, J&K Police have been removed from the services.
Apart from two Chief Engineers, the Government has also removed several other Engineers from the services. They included Girdhari Lal, Executive Engineer, Hydraulic Division, Ramban, Sher Mohammad Khan, Executive Engineer, attached with Chief Engineer PWD (R&B), Jammu, Ikhlaq Hussain, AEE Works, Sub Divisional, Bhaderwah, Mohammad Shaffi Bhat, Executive Engineer (on deputation to Higher Education Department), Javaid Iqbal Shah, AEE, Irrigation and Flood Control Sub Division, Banihal, Fareed Ahmad Tak, AEE Estates Division, Jammu, Parvez Ahmad Shah, JE PHE Division Bandipora, Ghulam Nabi Dar, Executive Engineer, attached with Directorate of Rural Development, Kashmir, Khursheed Ahmad, JE Block Officer, Thanna Mandi.
Employees from Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and Boards, Urban Local Bodies/Municipal Bodies, who have been dismissed are Suresh Kumar Rekhi, DGM, JK Project Construction Corporation, Mohammad Shafi Shah, Assistant Manager, JKPCC, Deepak Sharma, Booking Manager, SRTC, Abdul Rashid Shah and Ravi Kumar Sharma, Executive Officers, Housing and Urban Development Department and Lateef Ahmad, ex-Executive Officer, Urban Local Bodies.
Three Tehsildars figured in the list of Revenue Department officers, whose services have been dispensed with by the Government. They are Altaf Ahmad Mistri, Tehsildar, Aripal Tral, Mohammad Bashir Rather, Tehsildar, attached with Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Mohammad Bashir, Tehsildar, Balakote, Poonch, Sher Singh, Naib Tehsildar, Divisional Commissioner’s office, Jammu, Fida Hussain, Naib Tehsildar, Jammu, Abdul Majid Wani, Patwari, Halqa Kangan, Krishan Lal, Patwari Halqa, attached with SDM Mahore, Gian Chand, Naib Tehsildar, Katra, Ramesh Chander, Field Inspector, Tehsil Office, Bishnah, Ghulam Mehdi Pandit, Head Assistant, DC Office Budgam, Mohammad Iqbal, Girdawar, attached with Tehsil Office, Thanna Mandi, Padam Dev Sharma, Patwari Halqa Nardi, Mera Mandrian, Akhnoor, Baj Singh, Naib Tehsildar, Peeri and Balwan Singh, Patwari, Tehsil Office, Hamirpur, Niabat Khour.
Mushtaq Ahmad Baba, Chief Accounts Officer, Department of Education Kashmir and Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, Accountant, attached with Department of Accounts and Treasuries, Jammu were two officers of Finance Department, who have been removed from the services.
Tariq Ahmad Ganie, Incharge Tehsil Supply Officer (TSO), Gool, Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din, Junior Assistant, AD office, Trade and Stores, Jammu, Shabir Ahmad Magray, TSO, CAPD Darhal, Rajouri and Tinder Pal Singh, Assistant Director, CAPD Kathua were the four officers of CAPD, who have been dismissed from the services.
In School Education Department, four officers have been declared as deadwood and removed from the services including Tarsem Lal, Principal DIET Poonch, Mohammad Ashraf Reshi, Head Assistant, attached to Boys Higher Secondary School, Batmaloo, Srinagar, Mumtaz Hussain Bhat, Senior Assistant, DIET Poonch and Arifa Parveen, Senior Assistant, attached with Government Higher Secondary School, Amira Kadal.
Basudev Singh, Helper (Meter Reader), EM&RE Sub Divisional Bari Barahamana, Jammu was lone official from Power Development Department dismissed from services.
Tariq Irshad Handoo, Deputy Forester, Urban Forestry Division, Srinagar and Riyaz Anwar Masoodi, Divisional Manager, State Forest Corporation, Division Zangli were the two Forest Department officers given marching orders from the Forest Department.
Abdul Hamid Wani, Project Officer, DRDA/IWMP, Bandipora and Parshotam Kumar Sharma, Village Level Workers, Panchayat Town, Block Ghat, Doda were removed from the services in the Rural Development Department.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Education Minister and Government spokesman Naeem.
Akhtar said the sacking of these officers and officials involves invoking of the existing clause of J&K Civil Services Rules (JKCSR), as per which the Government has to assess the performance of an officer/official after he/she completes 48 years of age or 22 years of service.
“By today’s action the Government has just reiterated the essentiality of this clause,” he said.
The Minister said the Government is also going to strengthen State Accountability Commission (SAC) to ensure transparency at political levels.
Akhtar said the Government was trying to send a message to the employees that “no body, who is not performing well, is in safe hands”.
“This list is just a warning shot. More names are coming and this will be a permanent feature,” he said.
He said the Government will confiscate such disproportionate assets of the corrupt officials.
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