Top echelons apprised about disenchantment among IAS cadre
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 5: Despite receiving sharp criticism from various quarters, the PDP-BJP Government has yet not stopped its practice of accommodating ‘blue-eyed’ officers on some important positions at the cost of eligible officers. Due to this disenchantment is growing among the IAS officers, who have made it clear to the top echelons in the Government that this unbecoming act would not augur well for the administration.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that Government has made it a routine affair to post junior officers on the senior positions at the cost of the eligible and deserving officers in blatant violation of the rules. “The main objective behind such orders is to watch the interests of the blue-eyed officers and their sympathizers in the ruling dispensation”, they added.
Recently the Government crossed all the limits of flouting the rules when a 2009 batch IAS officer was given the charge of the post of Administrative Secretary Tourism Department in addition to his duties as Managing Director of Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation.
“He has been given the charge of post of Administrative Secretary despite the fact that this particular officer would become eligible for this post in the year 2022 on completion of 13 years of service as defined under rules governing IAS officers”, sources said.
In this way, the Government has ignored several IAS officers, who are senior to him and could have been considered for the post as full time officer instead of present ad hoc arrangement, sources said, adding as per rules an IAS officer becomes eligible for posting as Administrative Secretary only after rendering 13 years of service.
The officers senior to the one given the charge of Administrative Secretary Tourism Department are Mohammad Javed Khan (IAS officer of 2005 batch), Sheetal Nanda (IAS officer of 2006 batch), Yasha Mudgal (IAS officer of 2007 batch), Simrandeep Singh and Jitendra Kumar Singh (IAS officers of 2008 batch), Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Sushma Chauhan and Parvaiz Iqbal Khateeb (IAS officers of 2009 batch).
“While all these officers are holding the posts of Head of the Department or equivalent, a particular IAS officer of 2009 batch has been given the charge of Administrative Secretary”, sources regretted, adding this indicates that Government has not stopped its practice of accommodating ‘blue-eyed’ officers on important positions.
Similarly, a 2005 batch IAS officer was posted as Administrative Secretary of the PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Department in the month of September this year despite the fact that he will become eligible for the post of Administrative Secretary next year.
Early this year the Government assigned the charge of the post of Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation to the Health Officer and this led to strong resentment among large number of officers, who were otherwise eligible for the post.
However, the Government allowed the officer to continue on the post for several months by ignoring the voices of resentment. Finally, the mistake was rectified last month when the Government vide Order No.1359-GAD dated October 24, 2017 not only relieved the Health Officer of the charge of Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation but also repatriated him to Health and Medical Education Department for further posting.
According to the sources, strong resentment is brewing among the IAS officers over the unbecoming act on the part of the Government. “The most astonishing aspect is that Government is continuing with its policy of appeasement and succumbing to the political pressures despite being aware of the disenchantment among the officers”, sources regretted.
They informed that some senior IAS officers have again raised the issue with the top echelons in the Government and expressed serious concern over continuous violation of rules. “They have been told explicitly that resentment among the officers should be checked instead of being allowed to aggravate so as to ensure smooth functioning of the administration”, sources added.
“It is only when the resentment crosses all the limits that IAS officers start opting for the Central deputation as in the Union Government such violations are rarely allowed”, they said.
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