Transfers of Inquiry Officers too creating hurdles
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 27: Notwit-hstanding the explicit directions from the State High Court about completion of departmental inquiries in a time bound manner, such proceedings in the cases of grave financial and other irregularities in different wings of the Housing and Urban Development Department are being delayed inordinately for the benefit of the involved officers. Moreover, the transfers of the Inquiry Officers are too creating hurdles in taking the departmental inquiries to the logical conclusion.
The State High Court, in the Public Interest Litigations (PILs) on corruption related issues, passed directions to the State Government a number of times for timely completion of departmental inquiries so as to not only punish the erring officers but to leave a deterrent effect on the others.
On the directions of the High Court, the issue of timely completion of departmental inquiries is also being discussed regularly in the Committee of Secretaries (CoS) meeting and Chief Secretary is repeatedly laying stress on the Administrative Secretaries to ensure that such proceedings in their respective departments are concluded expeditiously to yield the desired results.
However, the situation has remained unchanged with many departmental inquiries being delayed inordinately particularly in the Housing and Urban Development Department, which has numerous wings under its administrative control like Jammu Municipal Corpor-ation, Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Directorates of Urban Local Bodies, Jammu Development Authority, Srina-gar Development Authority and J&K Housing Board.
Vide Government Order No.45-HUD dated March 1, 2017, the Commissioner Secretary Housing and Urban Development Department Hirdesh Kumar Singh ordered Regular Departmental Action (RDA) against S K Wali, the then Executive Engineer, Ravinder Koul, the then Junior Engineer and Kulbir Singh, the then Storekeeper in Jammu Municipal Corporation.
The then Director Urban Local Bodies Arun Kumar was appointed Inquiry Officer for initiating in-depth inquiry into the allegations of financial irregularities allegedly committed by these officers on the points raised by the Vigilance Organization Jammu vide Letter No.VO/SP-JSC-1/2013-14768-70 dated November 20, 2016.
The Inquiry Officer was directed to submit report within 30 days positively along with his recommendations. However, despite the lapse of seven months the RDA has not been completed against the erring officers, sources said, adding though the charge sheet was served to the erring officers as per the provisions of law yet no further progress could be made in the case mainly because the Inquiry Officer was transferred from the post.
Due to this, the officers allegedly involved in financial irregularities have remained unpunished till date, sources said while disclosing that Vigilance Organization Jammu had raised the points like execution of works without technical sanction, which amounts to violation of codal procedures; poor quality of premixing laid in the lanes and non-utilization of Tar issued by JMC to contractor which resulted into loss of Rs 185200 to the State exchequer.
Similarly, vide Government Order No.86 dated March 27, 2017 the Commissioner Secretary Housing and Urban Development Department had ordered initiation of RDA against Tarseem Raj Sharma, Assistant Enforcement Officer Jammu Municipal Corporation for facilitating illegal constructions in Rehari and New Plots areas of Jammu.
The Inquiry Officer Joginder Singh, CTP JMC, who was entrusted with the task, had initially sought extension in the time-frame for completion of inquiry and thereafter complaint about non-cooperation from the concerned officers of the JMC, sources said while expressing inability to reveal further progress in the case. “The senior officers of the JMC had recently conveyed the Inquiry Officer that full cooperation will be extended to him but thereafter nothing was heard about the development in the case”, sources added.
Even Departmental Inquiry into Rs 27 crore scam in the J&K Housing Board could not be completed till date despite the fact that vide Government Order No.142-HUDD dated June 15, 2017 the Commissioner Secretary Housing and Urban Development Department had granted one month time to the Inquiry Officer—M Raju, the then Commissioner Jammu Municipal Corporation for completion of task.
“Now, the Inquiry Officer has been transferred from the JMC as a result of which Departmental Inquiry will get delayed further at least till the Administrative Secretary of the Housing and Urban Development Department appoints new Inquiry Officer”, sources said.
This Departmental Inquiry was ordered against Ram Paul, the then Secretary J&K Housing Board, Kulbushan Kumar, the then Financial Advisor-cum-Chief Accounts Officer J&K Housing Board and Aftab Rashid Pandit, the then Deputy General Manager Unit-II Srinagar.
In the much-publicised case of procurement of dog kill powder on highly exorbitant rates at Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) in the year 2007-2008, the inquiry was initiated vide Government Order No.23-HUD dated January 25, 2017 on the receipt of communication from the Vigilance Section of General Administration Department dated October 23, 2015.
Thereafter, vide Government Order No.159-HUD of 2017 dated June 30, 2017 Reyaz Ahmed Wani, Director Urban Local Bodies Kashmir was appointed as Inquiry Officer to initiate Regular Departmental Inquiry into the case and he was asked to submit the report within 30 days along with his recommendations.
However, till date only charge-sheet has been served to some of the officers involved in the case, sources said, adding “it is a matter of concern that in the irregularity which was committed 10 years back the departmental inquiry has not been completed till date”.
When contacted, the Inquiry Officer Reyaz Ahmed Wani said, “I cannot specify time-frame for completion of exercise although charge-sheet has been served to some of the involved officers”. He also refused to divulge the names of the officers who had made purchases on highly exorbitant rates.
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