Integrity, sincerity and efficiency are the three main requirements which can in no case be compromised with , not even in the least, in a Government employee and to continue to be in Government employment. That being the premises and the main consideration of engaging a person in Government office, therefore, entails that the conduct and behaviour , working and performance, integrity and dedication, honesty and accountability of an official were up to the mark and beyond any suspicion. Again, if any inordinate delay is deliberately caused or adopting tactics of dilly dallying in following the due processes of enquiries/investigations and punishing the violator is tantamount to mocking the law and the related system in itself. With this background, may it be known as to what is the present status and fate of those officials confirmed to have wilfully and grossly erred and misused their official positions in Housing and Urban Development Department (H&UDD) of Jammu and Kashmir, continuing to enjoy indefinite breather and insulation from getting punished ?
Should it, therefore, mean causing loss to the public exchequer due to corrupt, irregular, unlawful and unauthorised actions on the part of several officials be institutionalised since ”enquiries” ordered against them appear to have not moved beyond noting in files? Is there any system in place to ask those who were entrusted with the duty of conducting enquiries as to where are their enquiry reports pinpointing relevant omissions and commissions and names specific involved while many deadlines otherwise ”prescribed” having been missed. Why is there no strict follow- up from the higher authorities in the matter so that due pressure could be exerted on those who probably appear to be siding with the erring officials rather than with the sway and the writ of the law and employing set and prescribed procedures .
By the time , enquiries etc would have been completed , at least the amount of loss caused to the public exchequer should have been recovered or the process of recovery initiated against those officials due to whose undesirable actions such losses were caused. Public money is not anybody’s fiefdom or property that a wilful and whimsical approach could be adopted but every penny belonging to the people must be recovered from anyone who squandered it or caused loss to it or denied due receipts to it. It is another thing that such officials could have approached courts for granting them some ”relief” and ordering staying of the recovery process but a message would have gone loud and clear about the application of dictum ”wilful caused loss to be recovered from the causer”. The fact of the matter is that neither enquiries are conducted nor reports are filed, nor losses are recovered, nor any action is taken which all lead to a combined ”understanding ” from top to lower levels in allowing the time to pass so that the desired levels of dust settled over the cases while such time could be used silently and meticulously in tampering with the relevant proofs, records, papers, files, vouchers and the like.
Enquiries ordered against a long list of delinquent officials in departments/ offices/ ULBs etc under the overall control of the H&UDD of Jammu and Kashmir with no follow up hence no action taken, appears to have been ordered just for the sake of formalities. Like this, the higher authorities in the Department concerned fairly knowing about the fate of such enquiries ordered too want the corrupt and delinquent officials to rather feel ”assured” and not worried at all , the method employed to achieve such an end , again being unlawful, is resorting to delays, prolonging, deferment , avoiding and other tactics as is seen in such enquiry cases which had to be completed and reports submitted within a month. Action must be taken as fast as possible otherwise taking action late becomes difficult and tedious issue to be justified and proved if subjected to judicial scrutiny.
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