Identifying sensitive, non-sensitive posts for rotation of staff
Only committees framed but no exercise conducted
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 25: Majority of the departments of the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory are sleeping over the directives of the Chief Secretary as well as guidelines of the Central Vigilance Commission regarding identification of sensitive and non-sensitive posts to pave the way for rotation of staff with the aim to reduce the chances of corrupt practices.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that the Chief Secretary of J&K Union Territory BVR Subrahmanyam, while chairing the Committee of Secretaries meeting on January 6, 2020, directed all the Administrative Secretaries to get sensitive and non-sensitive posts identified in all the departments under their administrative control in a time bound manner.
Moreover, the Administrative Secretaries were explicitly told to ensure that no official overstays on a particular post in the departments under their administrative control without any compelling circumstances.
Based on the discussion held in the Committee of Secretaries meeting, the General Administration Department issued a formal communiqué to all the Administrative Secretaries for strict compliance.
“For the rotation of staff from sensitive to non-sensitive posts and vice-versa identification, categorization and notification of such posts was the foremost step”, sources further said, adding “the objective behind this decision was to reduce the chances of corrupt practices as allowing officials to handle the particular task for prolonged period leads to dependence of the department on such employees and make them indispensable, which further leads to corruption”.
Even there are guidelines of the Central Vigilance Commission for rotation of staff from sensitive to non-sensitive posts and these are applicable to Jammu and Kashmir with effect from October 31, 2019 when all the Central Laws were extended to this Union Territory in pursuance to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019 passed by the Parliament.
“For making rotational transfers in respect of the officials posted on sensitive posts at periodic intervals a list of sensitive and non-sensitive posts in various departments and organizations should be prepared so as to check developing of vested interests of the employees”, read the guidelines of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).
The guidelines further read: “In case officials posted on the sensitive posts continue to function in violation of these instructions, the Commission may be apprised so that it may take up matter with the concerned departments/organizations for necessary action”.
Following the instructions of the Chief Secretary certain departments constituted committees of officers in the month of January this year for identifying, categorizing and notifying the sensitive and non-sensitive posts and even time-frame of 15 days or one month was fixed for completion of task by such panels.
However, this exercise has not been completed in majority of the departments of the J&K Union Territory despite lapse of over six months, sources said, adding “the most astonishing aspect is that committees of officers particularly in the Engineering Departments have not met even once till date although time-frame fixed for submission of report/findings had lapsed in the month of January or February this year”.
Quoting some examples in this regard, sources said that vide different Government orders issued in the month of January 2020 committees headed by senior officers of the Engineering Departments and comprised of officers of the Chief Engineer level were constituted to identify sensitive and non-sensitive posts and submit report within 15 days but till date this exercise has not been completed.
They further said, “the dilly-dallying approach towards the explicit directives of the Chief Secretary and Central Vigilance Commission guidelines is notwithstanding the fact that identification of sensitive and non-sensitive posts is imperative even for posting of officials against whom prosecution has been sanctioned on the recommendations of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Crime Branch or Central agencies assigned the task of handling the menace of corruption”.
“In several corruption related cases, the High Court of J&K has issued directions for posting of accused officials on non-sensitive posts but in the absence of identification of such posts the orders remain unimplemented”, sources said, adding “even the Departmental Vigilance Officers (DVOs), who are supposed to play important role in pointing over overstaying of employees on particular posts, have not done anything till date”.
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