news details |
|
|
| Dental College Srinagar Principal's close aide attached with Director Health Kashmir | | Similar action waited against Principal | | Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Mar 19: The state government today ordered for the attachment of Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad, Head of Orthodontics, Government Dental College (GDC) Srinagar with Directorate of Health Services Kashmir.
"In the interest of administration, Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad, HoD Orthodontics, Government Dental College, Srinagar is hereby attached with the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir till further orders," reads the order issued by Under Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department. The order has been numbered as Government Order number 192-HME of 2018.
The order has been issued following strike of the department of orthodontics who had slapped one of the post graduate students of the college after he refused to do domestic jobs assigned by the Head of the Department. The students of department of Orthodontics were on strike since the first week of January.
The crisis at GDC Srinagar compounded last week when the under graduate and post graduate students of the other students also joined the strike. The students are on an indefinite strike over the past one week or so. The strike has also impacted the clinical work at the dental hospital with the patients being ultimate sufferers. The protesting students were demanding action against the HoD and removal of Principal GDC Srinagar.
A group of protesting students today appeared at the Press Enclave here and raised slogans against the Dr. Mushtaq and Principal GDC Srinagar. The protesting students said that they are being harassed by the college administration and demanded stern action against the college administration.
It would be in place to mention here that attachment of Dr. Mushtaq is important since he enjoys close rapport with the Principal of the college. Both Dr. Reyaz and Dr. Mushtaq have been accused of mismanagement and lack of discipline at the college campus. It remains to be seen whether government would act against Dr. Reyaz or not.
The attachment of Dr. Mushtaq has been ordered following submission of report by Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Syed Abid Rasheed Shah about the students strike to Minister for Health, Bali Bhagat. The DC had been asked by the health minister to visit the college and get the first-hand account from students, faculty and administration about the crisis at the college. The DC has reportedly mentioned about the mismanagement at college in his report to the health minister.
Faculty members and students of the GDC Srinagar gave vent to their anger, feelings and emotions while criticizing the role of the Principal of the college during their meeting with Minister of State for Health, Asiea Naqash in the evening on March 17.
"A senior faculty member of Department of Orthodontia told the minister that he had informed the Principal about the resentment brewing among the students against the HoD some five months back. The faculty member said the Dr. Reyaz instead of acting against the HoD allowed the things to go out of control despite the warning that students might use anti-depressants," said sources.
Sources said that some of the faculty members mentioned about the delay in making the publications public and said that same leads to delay in their promotion. The female faculty members told the minister that they are harassed by the college administration and they are not given the Annual Performance Report (APR) by the Principal of the college.
"The female faculty members told the minister that they are teased by Dr. Reyaz and they at times feel ashamed. All the faculty members told the minister that there is complete mismanagement at the college since the Principal is a caretaker Principal since 2004. There is complete dictatorship at the college with Dr. Reyaz acting like a dictator and a despot," said sources.
Sources said that the students told the minister that State Vigilance Organization (SVO) registered a case against the Principal in 2012, but still then he continues to be at the helm of affairs. The students also referred to the problems they face on account of lack of transport, adding that there is no student-faculty interaction at the college. They also said that they should be allowed to form a union and welfare fund that has accumulated to more than one crore should be utilized for the activities it is meant for.
Pertinent to mention here that SVO registered a case against Dr. Reyaz after it was established that he had purchased medical equipment for GDC Srinagar and GDC Jammu at exorbitant rates thus causing loss in crores of rupees to the state ex-chequer. The multi-crore purchase scandal came to the fore after revelations that came through a Right to Information (RTI) application moved by Tanveer Hussain Khan.
After preliminary investigations that led to the revelation of purchase scandal the anti-corruption court in Srinagar started the formal investigations in the case. The inquiry established the fraud and finally a First Information Report (FIR) under FIR number 33/2012 under section 161 of Ranbir Penal Code was registered against Principal GDC, Srinagar.
The inquiry officer probing the case established that equipment was purchased on exorbitant rates in order to cause monetary benefits to Principal GDC, Srinagar and officials of the company that supplied the equipment. In his report to then Special Judge Anti-Corruption Kashmir, Aijaz Ahmad Mir, the inquiry officer had written that machine Orthophos X G5 DS Ceph had been procured on exorbitant rates in order to cause undue pecuniary benefits to Dr. Reyaz and some others.
After this Special Judge Anti-Corruption Kashmir directed SSP Vigilance Organization to register formal FIR in the case if in his opinion any ground for the same exists on the basis of the findings arrived at by the inquiry officer under the relevant provisions of law. The vigilance organization while carrying out probe also found that fraud has taken place and it was only after this FIR was filed.
The inquiry officer in his report said that he compared the rates of the equipment in the market and found that GDC Principal has paid more for the equipment so that he acquires benefits from the purchase. The rates of the equipment were also presented to the Anti-Corruption Judge by the inquiry officer in a tabular form in his report. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
