Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 21: Notwithstanding the tall claims of the Government about handling the corrupt public servants with iron hands, several officers including those of All Indian Services are holding key positions in the bureaucracy despite prima-facie establishment of corruption and other charges against them and initiation of departmental enquiries.
The continuance of such officers on the prime positions has proved that Government is adopting double standards in handling the ‘corrupt’ officers and doesn’t believe in giving practical shape to its oft-repeated lofty slogans on the vital issue of corruption and mal-administration.
The Government’s preferential treatment for such officers can be gauged from the fact an IAS officer, who was involved in infamous Gulmarg land scam along with several other officers including the then Divisional Commissioner, is continuing to hold the post of District Development Commissioner-cum-District Magistrate in Kashmir valley despite the fact that Government itself has approached the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India, seeking sanction to prosecute him.
Barring this IAS officer all other alleged accused in the Gulmarg land scam have already been challaned in the court of law that too on the directions of Division Bench of State High Court in a Public Interest Litigation.
This IAS officer has been allowed to be the Deputy Commissioner despite the fact that charges against him in the Gulmarg land scam have been proved by none else than Vigilance Organization, which is considered as a potent weapon to tighten noose around the corrupt public servants and cleansing administration of menace of corruption.
Similarly, a Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) officer has been allowed to be District Development Commissioner-cum District Magistrate despite being served charge sheet under the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services Rules for tampering his Date of Birth.
In his case, the General Administration Department has gathered strong evidence, which prima-facie established that this officer had tampered his date of birth in order to obtain undue benefit of Government service for four years.
Yet another example of Government’s preferential treatment for such officers is the case of an officer, who is heading a wing of the Housing and Urban Development Department despite being charge sheeted by the Government for his involvement in illegal appointments, promotions and regularizations. He was given prize posting despite an enquiry going on against him in the General Administration Department.
Moreover, two Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers in whose cases Union Ministry of Forests and Environment has been approached by the State Government seeking sanction to prosecute them in the FIRs registered against them by the Vigilance Organization are holding important posts in the Forest Department.
One of them was booked by the Vigilance Organization for misappropriation of funds while as another had committed irregularities regarding allotment of contract for extraction and transportation of timber.
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