Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 2: The State Vigilance Commission (SVC) has received 300 cases of corruption and other irregularities in the Government Departments and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) in the State, some of which pertained to glaring irregularities but in the absence of the much wanted staff the Commission hadn’t been able to show much progress in the investigations.
“Yes, we have received nearly 300 cases of corruption, embezzlement and other irregularities in different Government Departments and PSUs but we have not been able to dispose off them by conducting investigations on our own or referring them to the State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) in the absence of staff,’’ the SVC sources told the Excelsior.
“What can we do when we are short by at least 80 per cent staff?’’ they asked.
According to sources, some of the cases received by the SVC had to be examined by the technical and legal experts, which hadn’t been deputed in the Commission so far. In such a scenario, they said, the SVC hasn’t been able to investigate or dispose off the cases. The pending cases continued to increase, they added.
There are 32 Administrative Departments and over a dozen Corporations in the Public Sector in Jammu and Kashmir, which falls under purview of the SVC. The Commission had to post at least one Additional Secretary, Deputy Secretary or Under Secretary to cover every Department and Corporation. However, the Commission has only one Additional Secretary at its disposal.
Admitting that pace of investigating 300 cases was very slow in the Commission, sources attributed this to extreme shortage of staff. “Unless we get adequate staff, we won’t be able to fully investigate or dispose off the cases pertaining to corruption and embezzlement,’’ sources said, adding that the repeated communications of the Commission to the Government to arrange staff for it have fallen on deaf ears.
According to sources, the Commission required 82 staffers including officers, technical and legal experts but they have been provided with only 14 staff members so far, leading to massive shortage that has badly affected working of the Commission.
After various hiccups, the SVC had formally come into existence on February 22, 2013 i.e. two years after the Legislature had approved the Act for constitution of the Commission. Over 10 months after the existence of the Commission, it was still lacking the necessary staff to investigate the cases, dispose off them and refer them to the SVO, sources said.
Noting that requirement of technical and legal experts was necessary for the Commission to investigated majority of the cases especially those pertaining Forest, Revenue Departments etc, sources said the Commission has just one Legal Officer and none Technical Expert/Officer.
“In such a scenario, it was becoming increasingly difficult for the Commission to investigated the cases properly. This has also led to pending of a number of cases,’’ sources said.
Worthwhile to mention here that the General Administration Department (GAD) has not yet framed the Rules for the SVC even after two and a half years of the Legislature approval to the Act and over 10 months of the constitution of the SVC.
The GAD had to come up with the Rules defining exact relationship between working of the SVC and SVO, the powers of both the organisations in investigation of the cases and other issues.
“Now no Cabinet or Legislature meeting was required for framing the Rules. It was only the GAD, which had to frame and issue the Rules on the basis of Act passed by the Legislature and taking into account the working of two anti-corruption bodies. Still, there was lot of delay in framing the Rules,’’ sources said.
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