Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Early Times Report
Srinagar, May 4: Work in the Chief Education Office Srinagar has virtually come to a grinding halt as the CEO, does not attend the office on regular basis.
On Wednesday, when this Early Times correspondent visited the office of the CEO, it presented a deserted look. "Sahab chuti pechalay gayay hai, woh Monday komilenge, (Officer is on leave, he will be available on Monday)," said an official of the department.
The insiders alleged that from last one week, the CEO, Arif Iqbal Malik from Rajouri has not attended his office.
"There are scores of files of urgent nature gathering dust in his office. In the absence of CEO, the work is piling up and one fails to understand when these files will be disposed off," said an employee who wished not to be named.
"Though lower ranking officials attend the office, they are unable to work in absence of the CEO," the employee said.
The employees said that since the CEO is from the Jammu division, the department is suffering a lot. "Instead of giving preference to the local officer the government recently appointed an officer from Rajouri Jammu. He usually goes on leave and due to this the people suffers lot," another employee said.
He said that the matter was taken up with the top officials of the Education Department including the education minister Naeem Ahktar, but nothing had been done so far.
The people alleged that the government was only verbally claiming its seriousness for education sector and in actual practice it has failed to do so.
Meanwhile, many people who spoke to Early Times expressed displeasure over the functioning of the CEO Srinagar. "I fail to understand why government is not taking action against the officers who don't attend their offices. From last five days I have being coming here to meet the CEO, but every time I am told that he is not here. Today I had come hoping that the CEO will be available but unfortunately his office was locked again and officials said that he is in Jammu," said MohmmadAslam of Batmaloo.
The CEO could not be contacted for his comment. |
