Speaker assures action if supplemented with proof...
Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 12: As the autumn session of Assembly witnessed uproarious scenes over the issue of backdoor appointments , the Speaker in a bid to pacify the agitated opposition assured of action in the matter that would be substantiated with proof. There is no reason to disbelieve him saying so but one wonders why the Government fails to take cognizance of the irregularities in making appointments in the State Assembly during the last over four years.
All that will bring facts to fore is a simple RTI application , which even the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who swears by having transparency in governance , can file to get to the core of the issue. The issue of scores of persons having been made through backdoor has been raked up umpteenth number of times, yet any action remains elusive. Not to speak of the Government, no investigative agency or anti graft body has ever bothered to look into. However, when it comes to seeking information through RTI , a normal procedure which only the NC led Government has ensured to be in place through a Legislation , things have not been clear and transparent in view of something undesired practices seen in the past, no matter the incumbent Speaker has tried to put the RTI seeking system well in place which was deliberately made almost dysfunctional and irrelevant a number of times in the past.
According to sources, RTI applicants wasted time and waited in vain when one of the PIOs few years back made it a toothless tool for them by trying to avoid and even delay the requisite information sought by the applicants with regard to working and functionality in the Assembly. Sources said the said PIO who is now retired, at the behest of the authorities would invariably hide the information, apparently because things were not clear and straight nor were norms followed particularly with respect to appointments made during the past few years. Withholding of information by the said PIO even warranted a reprimand to him by none other than the SIC itself after a number of complaints were lodged with the Information Commissioner about his role in deliberately avoiding details to applicants.
Unmoved by this scolding , the ex PIO went about doing things , as was apparently directed to him by authorities at the helm. However, this was supplement by 'reward' to him, sources said . Even though the requisition of the Assembly authorities to GAD in granting extension to his services was dismissed on unknown grounds, he was still not left disappointed, sources said adding that the authorities 'accommodated ' his daughter in the Assembly Secretariat , while undermining the normal rules and norms with respect to appointment procedure. |
