Axe likely to fall on 4 more KAS officers shortly

Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 23: With Government going tough on the complaints of corruption, inefficiency and red-tapism against its officers and officials, axe is likely to fall on five more officers including four of Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service in near future as the General Administration Department (GAD) was at the advanced stage of concluding enquiries against them. Besides, departmental enquiries into the complaints of different nature have been going on in around 400 cases and their progress is being regularly monitored by a committee headed by the Chief Secretary, Madhav Lal.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that by recently dismissing former Additional Deputy Commissioner, Pulwama, Adil Rashid Naqash, a Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) officer for his involvement in Rs 20 crore fraud, Omar Abdullah-led Government has already sent a message loud and clear to everybody in the Government services that corruption, inefficiency, mal-administration and red-tapism would not be tolerated anymore and those found indulged in the same would be dealt with strongly.
Stating that dismissal of former Additional Deputy Commissioner was just tip of an iceberg, sources said,  “presently enquiries against four more KAS officers and a former Director of Economics and Statistics Organization, being conducted by the General Administration Department, are at the final stages and very shortly, the outcome of the enquiries would be placed before a committee headed by Chief Secretary, Madhav Lal, for necessary action against these officers under Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services Regulations”.
“The complaint against former Director, Economics and Statistics Organization, is that he during the fag end of his service, made some promotions and engagements in sheer violation of the rules and to get monetary gain from the beneficiaries”, they said, adding “the charges against four KAS officers are relating to embezzlement of funds earmarked for land acquisition and diversion of funds without any authority or approval of senior authorities for conferring undue benefits upon some persons and themselves”.
Stating that divulging the names of these officers before conclusion of enquiries would not be a wise move, they said, “everybody would come to know about these officers as and when the enquiries are completed and action is taken against them”, adding “in the case of former Director, Economics and Statistics Organization, the final report of Commissioner Secretary, Tourism, Atal Duloo, who was appointed Enquiry Officer by the Government, is awaited”.
They further disclosed that departmental enquiries have also been going on in around 400 cases against non-KAS and non-IAS officers. “These cases belong to the period between 2008-09 and 2012 and much progress could not be made till few months back because of the slackness of the concerned Heads of the Departments and some Administrative Secretaries”, they said, adding “now on the directions of the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah and Chief Secretary, Madhav Lal, departmental enquiries into all these cases are going on at the required pace and Chief Secretary is himself monitoring the progress after regular intervals”.
“Majority of these complaints are against the officers and officials of the works departments like Public Health Engineering, Rural Development, Power Development, Roads and Buildings etc”, they said in response to another question, adding “the departmental enquiries in these cases have been initiated on the directions of the General Administration Department and the State Vigilance Organization”.
Keeping in view the lopsided end results in departmental enquiries initiated on the request of State Vigilance Organization till the few months back, the Government has issued clear directions to all the Administrative Secretaries to submit files during proceedings/inquiries of the case to the Chief Secretary at three stages, sources said.
In the cases pertaining to inquiries against the Gazetted officers, the files are required to be submitted to the Chief Secretary at the stage of finalization of charge-sheet to be served upon the delinquent officer(s), examination of reply to charge-sheet filed by the delinquent officer(s) and decision regarding initiation of departmental inquiry and action to be taken against the delinquent officer(s) after the report of the Inquiry Officer is received in the Administrative Department.

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