Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Mar 19: The State Government today constituted three-member Inquiry Committee headed by Principal Secretary to Government, Home Department, RK Goyal to probe into the allegations of favouritism and selection of some close relatives of top functionaries in the ruling party.
Official sources said that on the directions of the Chief Minister, the General Administration Department vide order No. 462-GAD of 2018, dated 19-3-2018 today appointed the senior IAS Officer, Goyal as Chairman of the Inquiry Committee.
The two other members of the panel are- Principal Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department Dr Pawan Kotwal and Secretary to Government, School Education Department, Farooq Ahmed Shah.
The Committee has been asked to inquire into the allegations related to unfair selection made by the J&K Khadi Village and Industries Board (KVIB) against various posts and determine whether proper procedure and rules were followed for making selections and also enquire into the methodology in selecting the agency for setting question papers and evaluation process adopted by the people at the helm of affairs. The Committee has been directed to submit its report to the Chief Secretary within one month.
It is pertinent to mention here that the issue came to lime light after the KVIB released selection list of Executive Officers and Law Officers, without mentioning the names of the candidates, their parentage, address, category etc. Later, it was found that some close relatives of two senior PDP leaders, and a son of former Law Secretary had been figuring in the selection list. For this reason, the names of the candidates were not mentioned in the list published in the newspapers.
The sources revealed that the list was released by the Selection Committee after joining of the blue eyed candidates. The issue was widely projected in the social media by some insiders and then NC in the press conferences at Srinagar and Jammu also exposed the recruitment scandal. It was broadly circulated in the social media connecting names of PDP vice president, Sartaj Madni’s son and nephew of KVIB Vice Chairman Peer Mansoor.
In the meanwhile, with the intervention of the Chairman of the KVIB, Chander Parkash Ganga and the Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, the lists for the posts of 23 Accounts Assistants, 33 Junior Supervisors and 24 Junior Assistants/ Record Keepers were withheld and the whole process was stalled. The Chief Minister also publicly declared that an inquiry into the matter will be held.
Sources in KVIB said that J&K Khadi Village and Industries Board invited applications vide Advt No. KVIB/01 of 2016 dated 8-10-2016 for the 103 posts of various categories. These included six posts of Executive Officers, 2 Law Officers, two Publicity Officers, 2 Assistant Executive Officers, 8 Statistical Assistants, 23 Accounts Assistants, 33 Junior Supervisors, 23 Junior Assistants/ Record Keepers, 2 Field Men/ Bee Keeping and one orderly.
Minister for Industries and Commerce Chander Parkash Ganga, who is Chairman of the KVIB had opposed the departmental recruitment board and had written to the Vice Chairman Peer Mansoor Shah and Secretary KVIB to refer the posts to the SSRB but despite his opposition, the Vice Chairman managed to constituted own selection board with apparent objective to accommodate his favourites.
Sources further said that more than 60,000 unemployed youth from J&K applied for the posts and submitted applications at Jammu and Srinagar offices of the KVIB along with fee of Rs 300. The Board generated about Rs 2 crore revenue with this. All the record from Jammu was also carried to the Srinagar. To manage the affairs, a blue eyed junior officer (DyCEO) Rashid Qadari by superseding senior officer Javed Anjum Mir was elevated as Incharge Secretary at the senior post earlier held by KAS/ IAS cadre officers.
Hardly, 14,000 candidates could appear in the exam as many could not even download their roll number slips online. A private agency was hired for the conduct of exam and the interviews were also conducted in hush hush manner as just first day list was published in the newspapers and after one day the interviews were started.
Many candidates came to know about it after the interviews for the Gazetted posts were over. Even the selection lists of KAS officers, professor, doctors and other cadre are published with name, parentage, address and category etc of the candidates but in the selection list published in the newspapers by the KVIB Selection Board, there were only roll numbers of the candidates, in violation of rules just for malafide intentions.
Chairman of the Board Chander Parkash Ganga, when contacted, said that initially he had suggested for the recruitment though SSRB as more than 100 posts were involved and it also required man power and much time but the Vice Chairman Mansoor and Secretary assured to outsource the recruitment process and hire credible agency from outside the State.
Then he agreed and allowed them for the same. He said proper procedure was adopted to make selection. When asked how Mansoor’s nephew and PDP leader Sartaj Madni’s son were selected and whether all others in the State were incompetent, the Chairman said they have also right to compete and get Government job. He said in the inquiry all the things will become clear.
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