*DVOs soft-paddling as reports submitted in only 317 cases
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 4: Estab-lishing that level of corruption in the Government departments has yet not come down to the desired level, a total of 1218 complaints were lodged with the State Vigilance Organization (SVO) within a period of six months involving 1060 officers and officials. However, the Departmental Vigilance Officers (DVOs) are not conducting verifications with the required vigor thereby hanging the fate of the complaints for unspecified period.
The State Vigilance Organization has been vested with the powers under the Prevention of Corruption Act to investigate and to make enquiries into the cases pertaining to the charges of graft against public servants and public men.
As on June 30, 2015, a total of 892 complaints were pending examination in the Central Office of the premier investigating agency of Jammu and Kashmir. Thereafter, 1218 complaints were received from July 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015 thereby raising the number to 2110.
As per the official data, Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Department is on the top of the list of 1218 complaints received by the Vigilance Organization within a period of six months, which itself is testimony of level of corruption in the departments. The SVO received 257 complaints against the officers and officials of Revenue/Relief Department, which is followed by Education Department with 165 complaints and Police Department with 72 complaints.
Rural Development and Health Departments with 65 complaints each, Urban Local Bodies with 60 complaints and Public Health Engineering Department with 57 complaints are also figuring in the list of departments facing highest number of complaints of corruption.
Out of total 2110 complaints, 1205 were sent to Departmental Vigilance Officers (DVOs)/Departments for verification into the complaints against the Government officials.
It is pertinent to mention here that institution of Departmental Vigilance Officers (DVOs) was formally established in the State vide Circular No.14 of 2002 dated June 19, 2002 issued by General Administration Department which also delineated the duties and responsibilities of DVOs. Prior to that, the GAD vide its Circular No.12 of 1994 dated February 22, 1994 had advised all the Government departments to designate DVOs in their respective offices for conducting verification into complaints against Government officials.
However, it was only after the issuance of GAD Circular Order No.12 of 2003 dated May 26, 2003 that the need of internal vigilance in various departments and Public Sector Undertakings was duly emphasized and the Government departments/PSUs were asked to nominate DVOs in a three tier system at the State, Provincial and District levels.
Regrettably, the DVOs are soft-paddling on the complaints referred by the State Vigilance Organization, which is evident from the fact that out of 1205 complaints sent to DVOs, the reports have been received only in respect of 317 complaints.
As per the official data, out of 244 complaints referred to DVOs by the SVO the reports have been received in respect of only 58 complaints as far as Revenue/Relief Department is concerned. Similarly, against 162 complaints the reports were received only in respect of 31 complaints as far as Education Department is concerned. Similar is the fate of majority of the complaints pertaining to other departments particularly Police and Rural Development.
About 639 Gazetted Government officers and 421 Non-Gazetted officials are facing allegations of corruption in 1205 complaints referred to Departmental Vigilance Officers and the slackness in disposing off the same clearly indicates that erring officers and officials have remained unpunished.
How the Government would be able to bring down the graph of corruption when the complaints are being handled with such a slackness? It is only because of delay in disposal of the complaints of corruption that their pendency is increasing with every passing year much to the benefit of those officers and officials facing allegations of corrupt practices.
Keeping in view the volume of pending complaints, the Government should divest the Departmental Vigilance Officers (DVOs) of other duties so that they can devote more time to conduct verifications and help the Vigilance Organization in punishing the corrupt officers and officials in the Government departments otherwise making slogans about taking on menace with iron hands would remain a hollow slogan.
Follow our WhatsApp channel