Avinash Azad
Jammu, Sept 16: Throwing the rule book into dustbin, the administration of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University engaged wife of a senior executive of Shrine Board on deputation basis, but within six months her monthly salary was enhanced by administration.
Documents in the possession of Early Times revealed that Roop Avtar Kaur an (IFS) who is wife of Additional Chief Executive Officer of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), Mandeep Bhandari, had joined the SMVDU as Registrar on deputation basis on August 17, 2009.
"When she had joined the University, her monthly basic pay was fixed Rs 31,680, interestingly within five months of her service, her salary was enhanced, and she was placed in pay band of Rs 37,000-67,000 with grade pay of Rs 10,000", the documents reveal.
Information seeker, Udhay Chand, who had sought information from SMVDU, Katra under RTI act 2009 and shared information with ET, claimed that the Registrar had been drawing the pay RS 31,680 (Basic Pay Fixed) for six months from the date of her joining.
"But on February 1, 2010 she made a representation exercising imaginary option in terms of Rule 52-C, III of J&K CSR and Rule 6(2)(II) of IAS (cadre) Rules, 1954 and similar cadre rules of other allied services. On the representation sanction was accorded to her to adopt the pay band of Rs 37,000-67,000 with grade pay of Rs 10,000 attached with the post of the registrar of SMVDU retrospectively from the date of joining the services in University that is with effect from August 21, 2009", the documents read.
"The above said order runs contrary to the terms and conditions of Rule 52-C,III which places a blanket bar for the exercise of any option for determining the pay in case of deputation to an autonomous body when once a deputationist has opted in the beginning of joining at a rate of pay as mentioned Rs 31,680," revealed the documents.
According to Rule 52-C,III of J&K CSR, "An employee placed on deputation may elect to draw either the pay in the scale of pay of the new post as may be fixed under the rules or his/her basic pay in the parent department plus his personal pay, if any, plus a deputation allowance. "For determining the pay under the rules for this purpose in the case of deputation to autonomous bodies etc., it may be presumed that Government rules apply", the rules read.
It further read that the option once exercised shall be final except that on such occasion when such employee receives promotion in his parent department or was reverted to a lower grade in the parent department or was appointed to another grade in the new department or there was a revision of pay scales in his/her parent department a fresh option shall be allowed to him.
The information seeker, Udhay Chand has demanded high level probe over malpractice by SVO and CBI. "Since the shrine board and SMVD University are being run by the donation of pilgrims of Mata Vaishno Devi, but same is being plundered by its officials to fill their pockets", he said. |
