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| Govt spares deadwood officials | | | Ishtiyaq Ahmad | 3/24/2018 11:50:19 AM |
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Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Mar 23: The state government, it appears, has spared dozens of officials in various administrative departments who are facing charges of corruption.
The government had earlier decided to order premature retirement of 'corrupt and incapable' officials who have failed to deliver in their respective departments.
The government had also constituted a high-level committee headed by Chief Secretary. The committee was to be the final authority to take action against the corrupt officials.
However, sources told Early Times that though the committee had asked departments to 'discreetly' prepare a list so that 'incorrigible employees' could be retired pre-maturely, nothing was done in this regard.
Sources said that from last one and a half years, scores of officers who were facing corruption charges were awarded plum postings. "Posting officials against whom investigations are going on is demeaning government's own initiatives against the menace of corruption," said a senior citizen.
Late Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in 2015 affirmed his commitment to bring transparency and accountability in the state administration when he removed tainted officials and non-performing bureaucrats from the plum postings.
However, sources said the present PDP-BJP coalition government is only issuing statements about ensuring transparency and accountability in the administration. "The time has come for it to translate this into reality by launching full scale war against the corrupt officers and officials," a social activist said.
Sources said the complaints of corruption, nepotism and malpractices against officers and officials of government departments have increased from last few years, and if this pace is not reversed the situation will assume dangerous proportion.
Sources said that though the State Vigilance Commission has sent queries related to corruption in departments, there was poor response from the government to act on these enquiry reports. It indicated that the government was not serious in fighting corruption in the state.
The officers of departments were directed to take departmental action on the enquiry reports, wherever necessary, and not to wait for the outcome of enquiry/investigation being conducted on the same charges by Vigilance Organization or SVC. However sources said that nothing has been done in this regard.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had admitted that corruption was a major challenge in the state, with various anti-graft agencies having received thousands of complaints in this regard. "Corruption is a major challenge for the government and its adverse effects on the society cannot be underestimated," CM had said.
Sources in the Vigilance Organization said that from 2009 to 2017, complaints have witnessed 90% increase and most of the complaints were registered as proven cases of corruption.
One of the top officials of the Vigilance Organization said that there is a deluge of complaints being received by the State Vigilance Organization from last two years. "In a number of complaints in 2015- to 2017, allegations are mainly about violation of codal formalities in the award of contracts in works, purchases, appointments, promotions and transfer, denial of services by the government departments etc," he said.
The official said that often these complaints are lacking in specifics and with the result the department doesn't attract provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. "It is unfortunate that most of the departments are reluctant in sharing case history of the accused and as a result the cases gather dust and accused roam free," the official said adding that delaying tactics by concerned departments is adding to woes of anti graft agencies.
Sources also said that hundreds of complaints received by the state vigilance commission, the highest anti-graft bodies are pending with various Departments of the State Government for the disposal.
"Hundreds of cases have been sent to different government departments for action and on the basis of evidence collected, prima facie charges have been established against identified officials, however so far action has been taken only in few cases and action against the remaining hundreds is pending," one of the officials of the SVC said.
The people believe that the officials in departments like Revenue, Education R&B, and government-owned corporations have not shown accountability as there are no checks and inspections. |
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