| Illegal appointments in civic bodies, Govt yet to take a call on the issue | | | Bashir Assad
SRINAGAR, Oct 22: The two Committees constituted to look into the complaints about illegal appointments in Urban Local Bodies in Jammu and Kashmir have reported that large scale illegal appointments have been made in ULB. The report is, however, gathering dust in the General Administration Department for months together now as the government is yet to take a final call on the issue.
There were complaints of illegal appointments in Urban Local Bodies of the J&K State. Accordingly two high level committees were constituted to enquire into the matter separately for Kashmir Division and Jammu Division vide Government Order No. 110-HUD of 2011 dated 20-04-2011 and Government Order No. 111-HUD of 2011 dated 20-04-2011 for Kashmir and Jammu Divisions respectively.
The Committee constituted for Kashmir headed by Sheikh Mushtaq (IAS) the then Commissioner SMC comprising of two members namely Mohammad Afzal, Ex-Director, ULB, Kashmir has submitted its report along with the particulars of persons who have been alleged as illegal appointees. The report presently lies with the General Administration Department for further action. In the meantime, the State Vigilance Organization has also started investigation into the matter and very recently the VOK sealed the property of one official in Bandipora District.
However, the Committee constituted for Jammu Division headed by Saugat Biswas, ex-Additional Secretary, H&UDD has submitted its report with the findings that no illegal appointment has been made in Urban Local Bodies, Jammu. According to some reports the ULB department has made more than 1,500 illegal appointments, almost doubling the number of employees. The result is that funds raised from local tax collection, devolution funds from the state's revenue and developmental grants are now exclusively utilized to pay salaries.
Sources in the department allege senior members of the ruling coalition and influential bureaucrats have turned the entire department into a job mafia, which has led to the diversion of the department's resources to paying salaries of the illegal employees.
In fact, the government has been allegedly promoting the illegal employment racket by violating its own norms and liberally diverting additional funds to various municipal bodies that have indulged in illegal appointments.
The extent of the government funding of municipal bodies is based on the population of the town, but government has set aside this essential norm and is, instead, releasing funds as per the number of employees, thus encouraging this illegal employment racket. |
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