Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Jan 14: Last year, the Governor administration set up the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for tackling of increasing corruption in Jammu and Kashmir despite so many anti-graft bodies already in place without bearing any results.
There are already many anti-graft bodies like State Vigilance Organisation, State Vigilance Commiss-ion, State Accountability Commission, Crime Branch, whose role have always been under question. Besides there is State Information Commission aimed to make the transparency in the governance.
However, there is rarely any visible change on the ground. This could be gauged that the state is considered among most corrupt states in India.
A think-tank survey by Centre for Media Studies (CMS) has revealed people in Jammu and Kashmir are among the worst sufferers of corruption in accessing public services.
It has placed Jammu and Kashmir along with Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh as most corrupt among 20 surveyed states.
At the same time, the role of anti-graft bodies seem dismal as 90 percent accused in corruption cases have been 'acquitted' while only 10 percent have been 'convicted' by courts in the last 15-years in the state, according to a report by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI).
"The SVO has not performed its role properly as it has remained headless for years in the past. The respective governments have also failed to strengthen it for the last one decade. We have insufficient manpower and shortage of investigating officers for investigation of corruption related cases," the official said, who wished not to be quoted by name as he was not authorized to talk to the media.
As per the official figures of Vigilance Organisation, the anti-graft body has registered hundreds of cases against government officials including bureaucrats and police officials and the investigations are going in these case.
Since 2015, it has registered around 250 cases against over 200 government officials. These cases have been registered related to misuse of official position, corruption charges, disproportionate assets, illegal compensation, purchase of sub-standard drugs, illegal grant permission to constructions, irregularities in funds, backdoor appointments, and various other wrong doings.
The SVO official said that the investigations were going in these cases. "We register cases only if there is some proof. In all these cases, there is some evidence based on which the FIRs have been registered," the official said.
The government enacted the Jammu Kashmir State Vigilance Commission 2011 and its mandate was to enquire or cause inquiries to be conducted into offences alleged to have been committed under the prevention of corruption act by public servants, corporations established in the state.
An official of the commission, said the SVC has sent hundreds of queries related to corruption to various departments, but received poor responses.
"The delay in responding to the queries by departments goes sometimes in favour of accused," the official said.
Similarly, the State Accountability Commissio-n was constituted in 2003 under provisions of Jammu and Kashmir Accounta-bility Commission Act, 2002 and had powers to inquire into the grievances and allegations against public functionaries including chief minister, cabinet ministers, legislators, and bureaucrats. But the state government amended the Act in 2011 and restricted the jurisdiction of the SAC to investigating cases of corruption against political executive and excluded bureaucrats in its jurisdiction.
Since 2015, an official said that SAC had submitted several recommendations to the government.
Similarly, the State Vigilance Commission since 2015 has made several recommendations to the government for strengthening the system of internal vigilance in departments. However, there has been no or little response.
The government last year issued a circular, where the chief vigilance officers and departmental vigilance officers of all departments were directed to ensure completion of the enquiries pending with them "expeditiously".
An official of the SVC said that corruption cases remain pending for years in the state. "Departmental heads seem less interested in punishing the corrupt officials," the official said. |
