Early Times Report
Jammu, July 21: Despite one young officer losing his life due to COVID-19 and five employees of the Agriculture Department testing positive for the deadly virus, officials were ostensibly asked by their higher ups to work inside the sealed premises of Krishi Bhavan here.
Police on Monday found several officials and employees of the Agriculture Production Department attending the office.
As per official records and as per the opinion shared by the Director Agriculture the premises of the Krishi Bhavan were sealed after an official was found positive.
Later four more officials tested positive while another young officer of the department died of COVID-19 infection.
According to sources, a senior official of the level of Deputy Director had circulated message on the social networking site Whattsapp, directing all the officials and employees to attend the department in the sealed building premises. “As per the directions of senior officials, the employees as well as other subordinate staff attended the office in the sealed premises on Monday. When employees entered the sealed premises, someone informed the Police, which reached the spot and after verbal arguments it got the premises sealed,” said a source.
He said, adding that though the premises were again sealed but so far no action has been taken against the officials responsible for asking the staff members to work within the sealed premises.
At a time, when COVID-19 infections have been increasing in Jammu province also and half a dozen employees of Agriculture Department from the same building premises have been found positive, in such a condition, why the employees have been forced to attend the office. “Who had issued the orders to the officials, employees to attend the sealed premises of a building? Why so far no action has been initiated against the responsible officials so far,” an official said, adding that on one hand the government has been imposing fine on the common masses, for venturing out without wearing face mask, but the same government has been silent about the gross violations being done by the government officials.
Early Times in its past editions has carried several reports in which it was mentioned that despite the fact that COVID-19 infection has reached the office of Director Agriculture but still the department has been forcing the employees to make successful the Kissan Pakhwara. “Now the senior officials have been found openly violating the norms in case of a sealed premises, why no action under National Disaster Management Act must be taken against the responsible officials?,” a senior official said. |
