GAD ignoring own orders while making transfers
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 2: Defeating objective of the initiative taken 12 years back, the PDP-BJP Coalition Government has failed to fill up vacant posts of Additional District Development Commissioners (ADDCs) in majority of the districts of the State, which otherwise were created exclusively for closely monitoring and physical verification of developmental works.
The non-serious approach is notwithstanding the fact that large number of developmental works in almost all the sectors are facing inordinate delays for want of regular monitoring as was highlighted exclusively by EXCELSIOR through series of news-items last month.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that necessity to put in place exclusive mechanism for monitoring of developmental works was felt by the then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in the year 2006 and accordingly the State Cabinet vide its decision No.106/4 dated May 11, 2006 gave nod to the creation of the posts of Additional District Development Commissioners (ADDCs).
The General Administration Department vide its Order No.726 dated June 8, 2006 formally accorded sanction to the creation of the posts of ADDCs in 12 districts of the State. Following creation of eight more districts, this order was modified and equal number of posts of ADDCs were created.
In the main order, the General Administration Department dwelt on the role to be played by the ADDCs and it was specifically mentioned that officers on these posts would exclusively carry out monitoring and physical verification of all the developmental schemes including Centrally Sponsored and Special Projects being implemented by different departments in their respective districts with special focus on the developmental schemes carried out by Public Works Department, Public Health Engineering, Irrigation and Flood Control, Urban Environmental Engineering, Power Development, Agriculture, Horticulture, Social Welfare and Health and Education Departments.
Moreover, it was clearly stated that ADDCs would conduct intensive touring with the officers of these departments under intimation/approval of District Development Commissioner for at least 15 days in a month to inspect, review and monitor the progress of implementation of the developmental works in the district.
However, the present dispensation has failed to utilize this mechanism for effective monitoring of developmental works, which otherwise is imperative for their timely completion.
This can be gauged from the fact that posts of Additional District Development Commissioners have been lying vacant in half of the districts in both the regions of the State.
At present, the posts of ADDCs are lying vacant in Samba, Kathua and Poonch districts while as charge of these posts has been given to other officers in the districts of Kishtwar and Doda. As far as Kashmir valley is concerned, the posts of ADDCs are lying vacant in Anantnag, Pulwama, Budgam, Baramulla and Kupwara.
“Despite being aware of the importance of these posts the General Administration Department is ignoring its own orders of 2006 while affecting transfers of Senior Scale KAS officers”, sources said, adding “even in those districts where ADDCs have been posted their services are not being utilized for monitoring of the developmental works”.
They informed that instead for monitoring and inspection of developmental activities, the services of ADDCs are being utilized for other works although the same was also mentioned in the basic order but not with that thrust as was laid on monitoring and physical verification aspect.
“Moreover, utilization of services of ADDCs has been left only at the discretion of District Development Commissioners and General Administration Department and Planning, Monitoring and Development Department have never bothered to ensure strict implementation of the order of 2006 or to ascertain the steps required to be initiated to empower ADDCs”, sources regretted.
They further said, “all this is happening despite the fact that there is hardly any sector in Jammu and Kashmir which is not facing inordinate delay in completion of projects mainly because of lack of constant monitoring”.
It is worthwhile to mention here that EXCELSIOR through series of news-items last month exclusively highlighted dilly-dallying approach of the concerned authorities in completion of projects in several vital sectors. The fate of these projects is hanging in balance during the past several years but the Government has failed either to make use of ADDCs for effective monitoring or to fix the responsibility for dilly-dallying approach, sources regretted.
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