Jehangir Rashid
SRINAGAR, Feb 18: Functioning of the Municipal Committees and Councils in Kashmir valley has been made subservient to the wishes and whims of ministers of the ruling coalition. The officers having political backing have not been transferred for years and this mocks at the overall process of transfer of officials.
Sources told Early Times that Executive Officer, Municipal Council, Sopore, Latif Ahmad Mir has not been transferred for the last five years since he enjoys patronage of a former legislator. Former MLA Sopore and Congress leader Abdul Rashid Dar has over the years blocked the transfer order of Latif and this has led to complete disarray at this Municipal Council.
"Bashir Ahmad Dar, Executive Officer, Municipal Committee, Pahalgam has not been transferred for the last five years. Dar has turned this municipal committee dysfunctional and as such he enjoys his posting like anything. Dar enjoys the patronage of Tourism Minister, Ghulam Ahmad Mir and is also said to be close to People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President, Mehbooba Mufti," said sources.
Sources said that Mohammad Afzal Bhat, Executive Officer, Municipal Committee Dooru-Kokernag enjoys the patronage of Public enterprises Minister, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed and Tourism Minister, Ghulam Ahmad Mir. It is due to this patronage that Bhat has not been transferred from his current place of posting for the past four and half years.
"Niyaz Ahmad Bakshi continues to be posted as Executive Officer, Municipal Committee, Magam despite the fact that he has spent more than three and half years there. This is due to the fact that Bakshi enjoys close relationship with agriculture minister, Ghulam Hassan Mir, who is also chairman of Democratic Party Nationalist," said sources.
Sources said that Executive Officer of Municipal Committees Kunzer and Charar-I-Sharief were transferred under a plan to adjust some blue eyed officials as Executive Officer of these two committees. They said the higher ups of the department are planning to appoint two junior most Head Assistants at these municipal committees as Executive Officers.
It would be in place to mention here that Housing and Urban Development Department issued two orders over the past couple of months ordering for the transfer and adjustment of 19 Executive Officers and Secretaries in the department. However, the officials who are close to the political circles have not been touched and are not being transferred for the past so many years.
Yet another discrepancy that has come to the fore in these orders is that an official was transferred twice within two months.
Under order number 307-HUD of 2013 Dated 09-12-2013, Ghulam Rasool Shah, Executive Officer, Municipal Committee, Municipal Committee, Tangmarg was transferred and posted as Executive Officer, Municipal Committee, Kupwara. Hardly two months later, Shah was transferred from Municipal Committee, Kupwara to Municipal Committee, Budgam. This transfer was affected through order number 42-HUD of 2014 Dated 07-02-2014. |
