14 IAS officers holding additional charge of many wings of Govt
SPVs, Mass Rapid Transit Corpns yet to get full time CEOs
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Mar 13: With Governor’s Administration facing peculiar situation in filling vacant posts of the Administrative Secretaries of various departments, adhocism is prevailing at top level in the State bureaucracy thereby hampering the functioning of many wings of the Government. Even Special Purpose Vehicles created for vital projects and Mass Rapid Transit Corporations have yet not been provided with full time Chief Executive Officers.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that during the past over one year a number of IAS officers, who were holding the posts of Administrative Secretaries, attained superannuation but because of dearth of eligible officers majority of these posts had to be manned through adhoc arrangements.
“The situation is going to become more complex as in the next few months more IAS officers are going to attain the age of superannuation but Government still doesn’t have required number of eligible officers for being posted as Administrative Secretaries”, they further said.
“No doubt the functioning of several departments is being managed through adhocism arrangements and officers who have been assigned the additional charge are trying their level best to do justice with all the departments under their charge but most of the times they find it difficult to dispose of the files expeditiously and lay timely focus on vital issues”, sources said, adding “there are certain departments where posts of Administrative Secretaries cannot be kept vacant for long time keeping in view their importance”.
“What to talk of adhocism at the Administrative Secretaries level even the Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) for the Smart Cities and Mass Rapid Transit Corporations have not been provided with full time Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) although posting of regular officers is imperative to give necessary push to the projects”, sources said.
As per the official information, Raj Kumar Goyal, Principal Secretary to Government, Technical Education Department is holding the additional charge of the post of Principal Secretary, Floriculture, Parks and Gardens and Information Departments while as Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary to Government Housing and Urban Development Department is holding the additional charge of the post of Principal Resident Commissioner J&K Government, New Delhi and Smart Cities and new Jammu/Srinagar Metropolitan Region Development Authorities.
Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon, Principal Secretary to Government, Animal and Sheep Husbandry Department is holding the additional charge of the post of Administrative Secretary Transport Department while as Navin Kumar Choudhary, Principal Secretary to Government, Industries and Commerce Department is holding the additional charge of Chairman and Managing Director J&K Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation Limited.
Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary to Government, Planning, Development and Monitoring Department is holding the additional charge of Administrative Secretary Hospitality and Protocol, Estates and Civil Aviation Departments. M Raju, Managing Director, J&K Project Construction Corporation is holding the additional charge of the post of Excise Commissioner.
Manzoor Ahmed Lone, Secretary to Government, Horticulture Department is holding the additional charge of the post of Administrative Secretary, Agriculture Production Department while as Saugat Biswas, Divisional Commissioner Ladakh is holding the additional charge of the post of Secretary, Information Technology Department.
Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar is holding the additional charge of the post of Chief Executive Officer Special Purpose Vehicle for Srinagar Smart City while as Farooq Ahmad Lone, Special Secretary to Government is holding the additional charge of the Administrative Secretary, Social Welfare Department.
Prasanna Ramaswamy, Vice-Chairman of Lakes and Waterways Development Authority is holding the additional charge of Additional Secretary to Government, Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabil-itation and Reconstruction for State Emergency Operation Centre Humhama while as Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, Additional Chief Executive Officer Metropolitan Regulatory Authority Jammu is holding the additional charge of MD/CEO Mass Rapid Transit Corporation and MD/CEO Srinagar Metro Rail Transport Corporation.
Ramesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner Jammu is holding the additional charge of CEO Special Purpose Vehicle for Jammu Smart City while as Ravinder Kumar, Managing Director J&K IT Infrastructure Company is holding the additional charge of the post of MD J&K SIDCO.
It is pertinent to mention here that before 2006 regular recruitment of IAS officers in respect of J&K cadre was very less and the same picked up momentum only after 2009. Moreover, during the period between 1996 and 2006, only few IAS officers made it to the J&K cadre.
During 1996, 1998 and 2000, no IAS officer was allotted J&K cadre which is one of the contributing factors to the dearth of eligible officers for the posts of Administrative Secretaries at present.
Similarly, there was no batch of Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services (KAS) during the period between 1984 and 1999, which is why there is a crisis of inducted KAS officers as well.
Citing the example of present Administrative Secretary Tourism Department Rigzian Sampheal, who belongs to Uttar Pradesh Cadre but presently on deputation to his home State Jammu and Kashmir, sources stressed that Governor’s Administration should make efforts for inter-cadre deputation of those IAS officers who are actually the residents of J&K but are in the cadre of different States of the country.
“If such officers agree for serving in their home State the Government should even seek the intervention of Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India”, sources further said, adding “moreover, the Government should ensure early induction of eligible KAS officers into IAS so as to overcome the prevailing crisis”.
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