Severe indictment

A number of State Government Departments and Public Sector Units have come under severe indictment of the CAG. It is a scathing criticism of the administration, just short of saying that the Government cannot hide its inefficiency and is devoid of moral consciousness. One is stunned to read the phraseology of the CAG in which it describes the carrying out of five performance and pin pointing excess, wasteful, unfruitful expenditures, fraudulent drawls, blocking of funds involving Rs 795 crore. Then the report proceeds to make a mention of specific cases by way of substantiation of its critique.
Full details of grave administrative irregularities, contravention of rules and procedures and intended mismanagement of things to create space for corruption and embezzlement etc. present the State administration in very poor light. One fails to understand whether there is an iota of truth and honesty in the entire administrative machinery of the State. The CAG report has, in particular, dealt with auditing exercise of Police Department, J&K State Energy Development Authority, Forest Department, PSUs, J&K Bank, SICOP and the rest of them. There are instances of stupendous subversion of established rules and laws and glaring cases of favouritism so that monetary benefit accrues to the beneficiaries.
In the case of Police Department, the CAG has pointed out acute shortage of infrastructural requirements like accommodation for police personnel for whom only 207 barracks are available against 300 odd required barracks. Most of the Police Stations and Posts are housed in rented accommodation. No fewer than 198 police personnel are deployed as personal orderlies of retired police officers, something that is squarely in contravention of police manual. The Police Department has been made a private fief by the police officers.  Police Department spent only three per cent of total allocated amount of Rs 394.30 crore for the year 2014 on the construction of accommodation or repair of existing accommodation. How sad that in many police stations basic infrastructure to run day to day administration is dismally lacking. The availability of interrogation room, rest room and separate toilets for the women is shocking. The CAG has pointed out that none of the PSs in six of the eight police districts had a separate toilet for the women.
The most disappointing part of the censure of Police Department is related to its reduced mobility, something that virtually renders it incapable of delivering the goods. The Department has 50 per cent shortage of Light Mobile Vehicles and 60 per cent shortage of Motor Bikes. Instead of required number of 432 LMV for 105 Police Stations in 8 districts, only 134 vehicles are available. Many of these are non-functional for want of proper repairing. Lack of vehicles reduced the mobility of the police force and mobility is the main area that makes police force efficient and result oriented if we go by the desk book rules. As such it is beyond logic to expect the police to be efficient and effective in controlling crime or violation of law and in maintaining law and order in the State.
In regard to the J&K Energy Development Agency, a PSU, the report has unraveled arbitrary method of administration. Two Central Government’s schemes under Remote Village Electrification (RVE) Programme and the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) have been entrusted to the JKEDA. These schemes are focused on providing solar electricity to remote villages in the State. The CAG has pointed out a number of flaws in the implementation of the scheme by the said organization and has given rise to solar lights scandal. The State received 4384 solar lanterns for distribution among the villagers who had no electric connection. The CAG has found that 803 solar lanterns supplied for villagers in Anantnag district in 2011 were not distributed up to August 2013. No DPRs and lists of the beneficiaries were available despite the fact that the Agency received Rs 2.86 crore from the Centre for this purpose. The report discloses very bizarre story of JKEDA placing orders for supply of 6,872 solar home lighting systems and 4,355 solar lanterns with the Director General Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D) New Delhi at a cost of Rs 11.24 crore in 2009 before obtaining the approval of the Principal Secretary of the Department. These were split into 14 supply orders below Rs one crore each to avoid signatures of the Competent Authority. The orders of the then Minister of Science and Information Technology regarding cancellation of these supply orders were not carried out and further procurements were made under the very nose of the Government, the report adds.
It is a moment of great anxiety that the administration of the State is ridden not only with inefficiency and corruption but with various kinds of mafias gripping it hard and squeezing its resources. This is a sordid situation and unless the Government decides to embark on a comprehensive reformation campaign to ameliorate the administrative mechanism, things are likely to go from bad to worse. What the CAG report says is at best the tip of the iceberg. Much more dirt and filth lie at the bottom of the system.
Dealing with Forest Department of the State, CAG’s report is abjectly disappointing… J&K was once a leading State in respect of its magnificent forest cover which contributed not only to its ecological grandeur but also was a great resource for attracting tourists from far and near. This green gold wealth has deteriorated in terms of preservation and promotion. Owing to absence of State’s Forest policy for more than two decades and a half after we had the National Forest Policy Plan, speaks why we lagged behind so far and why our forest wealth has suffered a setback. The CAG has brought to surface where we have faltered in preservation and conservation of our forest wealth. To put it succinctly, the CAG has observed that 86 to 90 per cent of total allocations to the Forest Department are spent on administrative segment and only 14 per cent of allocations are spent on conservation and protection of forests.  Framed in 1988, National Forest Policy recommended that 66% of the geographical area in hilly States including Jammu and Kashmir be brought under forest or tree cover. However, as per Indian State of Forest Report, forest area in the State remained static at 15.83% of its geographical area and growing stock decreased from 226.20 cum/hectare to 114.77 cum/ha.
This report is very significant in the sense that it must create awareness among all stakeholders whether in Government or belonging to civil society that in case we lose our forest cover, there will appear drastic change in the overall ecology of the State. The way in which forest cover is depleting is a matter of serious concern and we hope the Government understands the seriousness of this situation. CAG reports are generally constructive and the Government must rectify the wrong wherever it has been pointed out by the CAG.

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