Several transfer orders of Agri Deptt issued without formal approval kept in abeyance

Enquiry shortly, Advisor to write to CS for action against officer

Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Aug 19: Several transfers and postings ordered in the Agriculture Production Department without the formal approval of the Advisor concerned have been kept in abeyance by the Government with immediate effect while as an enquiry is being initiated within next few days for detection of more such orders. Moreover, the Advisor has decided to write to the Chief Secretary for necessary action against the then Administrative Secretary of the department.
In the edition dated August 17, 2018, EXCELSIOR had exclusively reported that several transfers and postings were ordered in the Agriculture Production Department without the formal approval of the Advisor to Governor Khurshid Ahmed Ganai and with ‘ulterior’ motives.
It was also highlighted that several orders were issued by the officer namely Mehraj-ud-Din Khan even after the date of his own transfer from the post of Administrative Secretary Agriculture Production Department by the General Administration Department.
Taking serious note of this act of the then Secretary to Government, Agriculture Production Department, the present Administrative Secretary of the department Manzoor Ahmad Lone, on the instructions of the Advisor to the Governor, has kept in abeyance some orders of transfers and postings issued by his predecessor.
“In the interest of the administration, transfer orders and references mentioned herein are kept in abeyance till further orders”, read the Government Order No.233-Agri of 2018 issued by Manzoor Ahmad Lone, Secretary to Government, Agriculture Production Department, the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR.
Vide Government Order No.229-Agri of 2018 dated August 10, 2018, which has been kept in abeyance now, the then Administrative Secretary had ordered transfers of three Incharge SMS with immediate effect without obtaining formal approval from the Advisor.
Vide this order, one Incharge SMS was transferred from Bandipora to Darhal while as another Incharge SMS was shifted from Mendhar to Nowshera. Similarly, an official who was under orders of transfer to Pahalgam was posted in Pranoo.
Likewise, vide Government Order No.230-Agri of 2018 dated August 10, 2018, which too has been withheld, a number of officials were transferred to their choicest places of postings.
The then Administrative Secretary had even accorded approval vide Letter No.Agri/NG/Trf/82/2018 dated August 10, 2018 for transfer of non-gazetted officials by the Directors of Agriculture, Kashmir/Jammu, which otherwise was prohibited by the Government. This authorization order has also been kept in abeyance by the Government till further orders.
“The process of identifying more transfer and posting orders issued by the then Administrative Secretary without competence is still on and several more orders are likely to be kept in abeyance within next few days”, sources said. If there was genuine requirement of making transfers and postings what was the hitch for the then Administrative Secretary to obtain formal approval from the Advisor concerned?, sources asked.
When contacted, Advisor to the Governor Khurshid Ahmed Ganai said, “I have issued instructions to the present Administrative Secretary of the Agriculture Production Department to get an enquiry conducted through an Additional Secretary rank officer so as to identify all those orders and references which were issued by the former Administrative Secretary without the formal approval”.
“Since the present Secretary is out of station the formal order vis-a-vis enquiry will be issued on his return within next couple of days”, the Advisor said.
In reply to a question, he said, “though corruption aspect has not been established so far yet I have decided to write to the Chief Secretary for taking action under rules against the officer as he has now been posted in the ARI and Trainings Department”.
He further said, “this is imperative to send a clear signal that nobody has the powers to throw to winds the laid down norms”.

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