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| Principal Dental College Srinagar ignores directions | | |
Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Jan 3: Health workers are considered as the main Covid warriors across the globe and are treated with utmost respect by the health administrators, but not by the ‘emboldened’ Principal of Government Dental College (GDC) Srinagar, Dr. Reyaz Farooq.
Sources told Early Times that for the past one year or so, the health officials appointed on academic arrangement at GDC Srinagar are without the salary. Although a local court here had come to the rescue of these health officials and directed the Principal GDC Srinagar to release the salary as soon as possible, but nothing of that sort has happened till date. The aggrieved officials knocked at the door of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha led Jammu & Kashmir administration and got a favourable response from the administration as well. LG Sinha’s advisor Farooq Khan wrote a letter to Dr. Reyaz and asked him to release the salary of health officials, but this too did not move the ‘above the law’ health administrator. The officials appointed on academic arrangement at Government Medical College, Srinagar are receiving their salary.
“This office is in receipt of a representation put forth by the contractual para-dental & nursing staff of Govt Dental College, Srinagar, submitted before the Advisor (F) to Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor, J&K for release of their salary w.e.f January 2020,” reads the letter written by Officer on Special Duty (OSD) with Advisor Farooq Khan dated 29-12-2020 under letter number PS/OSD/H/Adv/F/2020/629.
The OSD further wrote, “The academic arrangement made under SRO 384 & 409, especially in Health Department, is to cater the health services efficiently. However, withholding of salary to such employees has been earlier observed by Hon’ble Advisor (K) as well and passed direction to release the salary of alike cases in GMC Srinagar, issued vide Order No. 440 of AH of 2019 dated 16-09-2019 and No. AH/ESt-II/587-96 dated 29.06.2017.”
“Moreover, the Secretary (H&FW) GOI, vide its order dated 18 June, 2020 directed all State and UTs to ensure that salary of doctors and health workers doing COVID-19 related duty shall be released on time and any violation to that will be treated as an offence under the Disaster Management Act,” reads the letter.
The letter further reads, “Above all, in the instant case, the Hon’ble Court has passed direction in WP (C) No. 8598/2020, CM 1288/2020, which reproduced hereunder: ‘In the meanwhile, subject to objections and till next date of hearing before the Bench, respondents are directed to allow the petitioners to perform their duties. Respondents are further directed to consider the release of legitimately earned salary of the petitioners.’ In this connection, I am directed to request you that the representation be considered in view of directions of Hon’ble Court.”
It would be in place to mention here that Dr. Reyaz has been the in-charge Principal of GDC Srinagar for the past 16 years and he has not been confirmed as Principal as such. Dr. Reyaz was appointed as in-charge Principal GDC Srinagar in 2004 by then PDP-Congress government. The successive governments have failed to remove him and he continues to call shots. Supreme Court’s directive that a person can remain as in-charge Principal for one year has also been flouted at GDC Srinagar.
Pertinent to mention here that SVO registered a case against Dr. Reyaz in 2012 after it was established that he had purchased medical equipment for GDC Srinagar and GDC Jammu at exorbitant rates thus causing loss in crores of rupees to the state ex-chequer. The multi-crore purchase scandal came to the fore after revelations that came through a Right to Information (RTI) application moved by Tanveer Hussain Khan.
After preliminary investigations that led to the revelation of purchase scandal the anti-corruption court in Srinagar started the formal investigations in the case. The inquiry established the fraud and finally a First Information Report (FIR) under FIR number 33/2012 under section 161 of Ranbir Penal Code was registered against Principal GDC, Srinagar.
The inquiry officer probing the case established that equipment was purchased on exorbitant rates in order to cause monetary benefits to Principal GDC, Srinagar and officials of the company that supplied the equipment. In his report to then Special Judge Anti-Corruption Kashmir, Aijaz Ahmad Mir, the inquiry officer had written that machine Orthophos X G5 DS Ceph had been procured on exorbitant rates in order to cause undue pecuniary benefits to Dr. Reyaz and some others.
After this Special Judge Anti-Corruption Kashmir directed SSP Vigilance Organization to register formal FIR in the case if in his opinion any ground for the same exists on the basis of the findings arrived at by the inquiry officer under the relevant provisions of law. The vigilance organization while carrying out probe also found that fraud has taken place and it was only after this FIR was filed.
The inquiry officer in his report said that he compared the rates of the equipment in the market and found that GDC Principal has paid more for the equipment so that he acquires benefits from the purchase. The rates of the equipment were also presented to the Anti-Corruption Judge by the inquiry officer in a tabular form in his report. |
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