Inquiry initiated following revelations by Excelsior
SE, XEns asked to be cautious in future
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 10: Finally, axe has fallen on all the need based workers who were engaged in the Jammu and Kashmir State Industrial Development Corporation Limited (SIDCO) from time to time under political pressure and on extraneous considerations. Moreover, the Superintending Engineer and Executive Engineers of the Corporation have been explicitly told to be cautious in future failing which penal action will be taken against them.
The revelations about this illegal act on the part of respective Managing Directors of the Corporation were made exclusively by EXCELSIOR on January 25, 2018 and thereafter on February 5, 2019 mentioning that large number of persons were engaged as need-based workers in the SIDCO without following the transparent procedure and with the sole objective of obliging the politicians.
This issue even figured in the Legislative Assembly in the year 2018 and following much hue and cry by the Members of the House the then Minister for Industries and Commerce had made a statement justifying the engagement of such persons. He had stated that engagements were made keeping in view insufficient manpower and will be discontinued strictly as per the terms and conditions.
As there was no disengagement, some complaints were filed before the State Vigilance Organization (now Anti-Corruption Bureau) and accordingly preliminary enquiry was conducted. During investigation it came to the fore that the engagements were made without making any advertisement thus violating the rules and procedure.
In the meanwhile, a committee comprising of General Manager (P&A), General Manager (ROJ), General Manager (F) and Manager Legal/Secretary was constituted in the SIDCO to examine the manner and furnish the report.
The committee after thorough deliberation observed that proper procedure was not adopted by the Superin-tending Engineer and concerned Executive Engineers while engaging these workers, who were even not disengaged on the expiry of 89 days.
Now, on the basis of the findings of the committee, Ravinder Kumar, Managing Director of SIDCO has issued directions for disengaging 58 need based workers on certain terms and conditions.
“In case of any further need for ongoing project like NIFT and others the Corporation shall engage such workers by making advertisement in the newspaper with proper transparency and due approval of the Board”, read the order of the Managing Director SIDCO.
He has directed that the disengagement shall be made by concerned Superintending Engineer and Executive Engineers or other appointing authority by passing speaker order of each case and after paying dues.
“All Drawing and Disbursing Officers and Controlling Officers shall submit an undertaking that there is no such engagement left out under any head after issuance of this order and if found so they shall be liable to be penalized in terms of instructions mentioned in the Circular No.30-GAD of 2019 dated May 24, 2019”, read the order issued by the Managing Director.
It is pertinent to mention here that during the period between 2015 and 2017 SIDCO was entrusted with the responsibilities to execute various time bound State and Centrally Sponsored Schemes and projects like TAMEIR, NIFT, MSME and TFC Salamabad.
In order to execute these projects in a time bound manner the Corporation was required to make engagements of some need based technical and Ministerial staff purely on temporary and casual basis from time to time with bonafide intention and in good faith due to hard pressing need.
However, instead of following rules and procedure the Managing Directors of the Corporation engaged these need-based workers purely on extraneous considerations and on the pressure of politicians.
“Even the politically connected need-based workers were given the privilege of not coming to the duties and staying either at their native places or performing duties in the residences of the Managing Directors”, sources said.
“It has yet not come to the fore as to whether such illegally engaged persons in the SICOP have also been disengaged as this Corporation was also named by the then Industries and Commerce Minister in the Legislative Assembly”, sources said.
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