news details |
|
|
| Govt ignores those who have rock-solid proof of disproportionate assets against them | | Pick and choose method allegedly adopted for identifying, terminating 63 employees; Govt silent on 9 tainted ex-ministers, top bureaucrats | | Bharat Bhushan
Early Times Report
JAMMU, July 5: Unlike the widespread appreciation the government had received for carrying out a similar exercise in 2003, eyebrows are now being raised frequently over the manner in which it identified the 63 tainted officials and then terminated their services five days back.
The government is alleged to have adopted pick and choose method while doing so. While apprising the press Wednesday last of its decision to remove the dead wood from the state administration, the government was sadly silent on the nine ex-ministers and several top bureaucrats against whom State Accountability Commission (SAC) and State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) organisation have registered corruption cases.
It did not utter a single word on these big fishes and on several other government officials, both civil as well as police, who have raised properties worth crores within and outside the state. Huge commercial buildings, palatial houses and big real estate investments by the government servants, including serving and retired employees and ex-ministers, in the city's posh localities of Channi Himmat, Sainik Colony and Roop Nagar are the rock-solid evidence of their disproportionate assets. But, while finalising the names of 63 tainted officials, the government totally ignored the actual big fish who are alleged to have gobbled up the government treasuries.
A retired bureaucrat, who has also served in JAKFED, owns a multi-storey "commercial" building in sector 3 of Chhani Himmat. Its construction was, however, stopped by Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and the J&K Housing Board after these government agencies found that it was being raised in violation of norms. After retirement, he often uses the influence of his wife, a serving bureaucrat. This man is so fake that he flaunts his relations with the top leadership of the country and the state, bureaucrats and journalists in public and private gatherings.
A superintending engineer (retd) is also raising a multi-storey commercial complex in sector 2 of Chhani Himmat. Another (retd) engineer has constructed a multi-storey commercial complex on the main road in sector 2 of the locality. In all these constructions, JMC and Housing Board building norms stand flouted blatantly. Despite the COBO notices served on them by JMC, all these buildings stand erect like their mighty owners. All of them are so far out of the government's legal grip. This also puts a question mark on the government's anti-corruption crusade.
A former minister is alleged to be possessing a plot of 4 kanals at Lower Roop Nagar. Those, who are simple clerks in DC office here, have also raised huge wealths. While the government gives them salaries for their services to the people, they allegedly harass them for one reason or the other. They too have so far been out of the reach of the government committee that was entrusted with the responsibility of finding out the corrupt and the dead wood in different departments.
Mohammad Yousaf Bhat, a KAS officer, of Kashmir has already challenged his termination by the government and threatened to move the court of law for justice. He said he was made scapegoat for political reasons. He rightly asked the authorities concerned if he was corrupt, why the state governor and the government had thrice presented him appreciation letters for his excellent work and integrity. He termed his crusade against land mafia at Pahalgam as another reason behind his termination.
A senior government functionary said it was more shameful for a government to be overcome by the forces of bribery, especially the powerful big fishes who were protected in the corridors of power without any regret. This becomes evident from the fact that the successive state governments lacked will to take action against the tainted IAS and KAS officers who have been found involved in scams and misappropriation of government funds.
Nine ex-ministers and a number of top bureaucrats, some of whom were holding plum posts of secretaries, deputy commissioners and heads of departments in the state administration, stand booked by SAC and SVO, according to the information provided by then chief minister Omar Abdullah to the state legislative assembly on February 20, 2014 in reply to the questions of CPI(M)'s M Y Tarigami and PDP's Zulfikar Choudhary.
As per this information, regular inquiry cases were pending against former ministers - Taj Mohiudin, Abdul Majid Wani and Choudhary Ramzan. The case against Taj was registered when he was CAPD minister. The record of his case has been summoned by the state high court. In the Majid's case, the court had ordered a stay. The SAC had an year or so back quashed proceedings against then deputy chief minister Tara Chand and ex-minister Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, Congress MLA from Inderwal.
Ex-ministers against whom regular inquiry cases were pending with SAC included Mangat Ram Sharma (the case was registered when he was health and medical education minister), Ghulam Mohiudin Sofi, who held forest department in the PDP-Congress government (2002-2008), Hakim Mohammad Yasin, Suman Bhagat and Abdul Gaffar Sofi.
SAC has initiated regular proceedings against Suman and Sofi while in the case of Hakim, the high court has summoned the record. The high court has also ordered a stay on inquiries against Mangat Ram and Ghulam Mohiudin Sofi.
The name of senior IAS officer Sonali Kumar also figures in the inquiry initiated against Suman and Abdul Gaffar Sofi. Sonali was then principal secretary, health and medical education department. Vikas Bhagat, who was PRO of Suman, also figures in the case.
There are many other government officials, firms, private persons and ex-ministers against whom probes were pending with SAC. They included former forest commissioner Najam-ul-Saquib, then JKPCC MD Daleep Thusoo, then conservator (forests) Ezaz Malik, then CAPD director Ejaz Iqbal and then JKPCC GM Nayeem Ahmad. The information provided by Omar revealed that a number of top bureaucrats were also facing cases of corruption, misappropriation of funds and irregularities in SVO. CAPD's ex-director Hemant Kumar Sharma is an accused in SVO's case FIR No 10/2011 and has been charged with entering into a criminal conspiracy with "dishonest and wrongful intentions" with private contractors to benefit them. Three more then CAPD officials were also accused in the FIR. The case is under investigation.
Ejaz Iqbal, who has retired as secretary forests is an accused along with SFC's then chief manager Rajinder Prashad and four others in SVO's FIR No 7/2011 for allegedly manipulating official records pertaining to auction of properties at Kangrail, a village on the city outskirts near Mishriwala.
Ex-relief commissioner (migrants) Vinod Koul is an accused in SVO's FIR No 3/2012, registered against him for the alleged abuse of his official position.
Ex-CEO Natha Ram Dhingra is an accused along with three then ZEOs in SVO's FIR No 27/2012. They were alleged to have purchased fire extinguishers at exorbitant rates. A former principal of Srinagar dental college has been accused of causing a huge loss to the state exchequer while making purchases of different articles on exorbitant rates in 2010-11. Ex-director of health services, Ashok Kumar Sharma and others have been booked under SVO's FIR No 19/2011 for allegedly purchasing medicines worth crores on exorbitant rates. Mukhtarul Aziz, then additional DC, Srinagar, and T K Sadhu, then executive engineer, Ganderbal, also figure as accused in SVO's FIR No 25/2011 for the alleged fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 1 cr.
For allegedly alloting the construction of a bridge across Chenab river at Pul-Doda to A K Constructions Pvt Ltd in violation of the set government norms, then JKPCC MD Mohammad Subhan Najar, then R&B chief engineer (Kashmir) Nazir Ahmad Shah, then R&B chief engineer (Jammu) M M Sharma, then JKPCC GM Daleep Thusoo, then JKPCC DGMs - V K Channa and S K Sethi, and then JKPCC AE Gopal Sharma were accused in SVO's FIR No 15/2011.
Ex-tehsildar, Reasi, Kunal Sharma and four other revenue officials were accused in SVO's FIR No 12/2011 for allegedly causing loss to the state exchequer on account of evasion of stamp duty. Former SKUAST VC Nagendra Sharma, then comptroller Vivek Soi and then estates officer Iqbal Singh were also facing a case in SVO for allegedly swindling funds. Then MED chief engineer Zahoor Hussain Zargar was faced with the charges of illegal allotment of contract as regards the supply of weigh pads.
Omar had then told the legislative assembly that the government had re-constituted the high powered committee to identify dead wood and corrupt officials. According to him, the committee had reviewed the cases of employees falling under Article 226 (2) of the J&K CSRs and made recommendations to the government.
In 2011 also, Omar had constituted a panel to restart the exercise. The high-level committee was headed by then chief secretary MadhavLal and had B R Sharma and M S Khan as its members. Due to some unknown reasons, the committee had not done any work.
It is expected that the government would apply the same yardstick while dealing with the corrupt irrespective of their position in the state administration. This was important for it to further strengthen its credibility among the J&K people. Otherwise, there is a risk of the government losing its credibility. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
