*GAD, Home Deptt fail to order posting of manpower
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Aug 30: Clearly establishing that State Government has yet not shed the non-serious approach towards the vital subject of road safety, the Secretariat of the State Road Safety Council, which was announced more than two months back, has yet not become functional till date because neither General Administration and Home Departments ordered posting of officers and officials nor Estates Department identified accommodation for its office.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that after being reprimanded from certain quarters including Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety, the State Government announced setting up of State Road Safety Council in the month of June this year and thereafter the General Administration Department vide Order No.854 dated June 29, 2015 accorded sanction to the setting up of a Lead Agency to act as the “Secretariat of the State Road Safety Council”.
The objective behind announcement of “Secretariat of the State Road Safety Council” was to coordinate all activities relating to the road safety in the State, which include the functions of the Police, Public Works, Education and Health Departments, Local Bodies, Non-Government Organizations and other departments concerned with the road safety. It was mentioned in the order that the Secretariat shall function under the charge of the Administrative Secretary, Transport Department.
However, despite lapse of over two months no serious attention has been paid towards making the Secretariat of the State Road Safety Council functional and its establishment remains confined to papers only, sources regretted, adding though several transfers of officers including those of KAS cadre were made ever since the issuance of the GAD order on June 29, no efforts were made to post officers and officials in the Secretariat of the Road Safety Council.
They revealed that post of Additional Secretary in the Secretariat of the Road Safety Council, which was to be filled by posting an officer holding the Selection Grade of KAS, continued to remain vacant till date due to the slackness on the part of the General Administration Department.
Similarly, the post of Additional Secretary (Technical) has yet not been filled despite the fact that it was clearly mentioned in the order that Home Department would depute SSP level officer to man the post. Likewise, post of Under Secretary, which was to be filled by deputing a Junior Scale KAS/equivalent level officer by the General Administration Department, is lying vacant.
The other posts, which were required to be filled by the General Administration Department include Head Assistant, Personal Assistant and Senior Assistant while as Planning and Development Department was required to fill the post of Statistical Officer.
According to the sources, only Public Works Department has accomplished the task by getting a Superintending Engineer level officer posted in the Road Safety Council Secretariat to act as Additional Secretary (Technical).
“What to talk of posting of officers even the accommodation for the office of the Council Secretariat has not been identified during the past over two months”, sources said, adding “non posting of officers and officials and non-identification of accommodation for office of the Council Secretariat clearly establishes that State Government has yet not shed the non-serious approach towards the vital subject of road safety.
When contacted, Commissioner/ Secretary Transport Department, Kifayat Hussain Rizvi confirmed that only Superintending Engineer level officer has been posted in the Secretariat of the Road Safety Council till date. “I think other officers would be posted only when accommodation is identified for the office of the Secretariat”, he added.
In response to a question, he said, “Director Estates has assured to provide accommodation in the Old Secretariat Srinagar and I am sure that within next one week this exercise would be completed”, adding “the Secretariat of the Council would move to Jammu during usual darbar move”.
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