* DyCM writes to CS, seeks cancellation of transfer order
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 29: The Coordination Committee of PDP-BJP coalition Govern-ment today formally decided to appoint Chairpersons/Vice Chairpersons to about 24 to 26 Corporations/Boards shortly and directed the General Administration Department (GAD) to put Recruitment Policy in public domain on June 1, the next working day, when Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC) on the Policy will also meet.
Meanwhile, the BJP in the Coordination Committee meeting today sought allocation of three portfolios—Rural Devel-opment Department, Hortic-ulture and Ladakh Affairs—to its Ministers of State, which were held by the party leaders Chering Dorjey and Abdul Ghani Kohli before their elevation as Cabinet Ministers.
In another development, Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh, who chaired the Coordination Committee meeting, today took strong exception to the posting of a Special Secretary in the Civil Secretariat without mandatory approval of the Cabinet.
Singh’s OSD Shakti Pathak shot off a letter to Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey on behalf of the Deputy Chief Minister seeking that the order should be revoked immediately as it was issued without approval of the Cabinet and in violation of set procedures.
Only today, the GAD issued an order appointing Majid Khalil Ahmad Drabu, KAS, Special Secretary to Government, Health and Medical Education Department as Special Secre-tary, Public Works (R&B) Department. The Deputy Chief Minister’s letter sought immediate revoking of the order.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Coordi-nation Committee meeting held at Dr Nirmal Singh’s residence in Srinagar over dinner for three hours tonight also took exception to the decision of the Chief Secretary to order transfer of the Special Secretary without any Cabinet approval. The BJP members in the Panel pointed out that this was for the second time that the standing procedure on transfers has been violated. They pointed out that initially, the Chief Secretary had on his own attached Vinod Koul, the officer of the rank of Commissioner/Secretary without the Cabinet approval.
Sources said the Coordination Committee decided to fill vacancies of Chairpe-rsons and Vice Chairpersons to all 24 to 26 Corporations/ Boards shortly. The PDP and BJP decided to equally share the posts.
Among existing Boards/ Corporations, the BJP has proposed new Board for Welfare of West Pakistani Refugees, sources said.
“It has been decided that the Corporations/Boards, which were in control of the PDP Ministers, will have Vice Chairpersons from the BJP while those under the command of the BJP Ministers will have Vice Chairpersons from the PDP,’’ sources said, adding that Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed himself happened to be Chairpersons of seven Boards, which will have Vice Chairperson from the BJP.
Similarly, the Corporations like SIDCO and SICOP falling under the Ministry of Industries and Commerce, which was headed by BJP leader Chander Prakash Ganga, will have Vice Chairperson from the PDP. The Cabinet Minister will remain Chairman of the Corporations like in the case of Khadi and Village Industries Board (KVIB), which is headed by Ganga while PDP backed Independent Syed Bakir Rizvi had already been appointed as its Vice Chairman. BJP leader Daljit Singh Chib had already been named as Vice Chairman of Kissan Welfare Advisory Board.
Sources said some MLAs and political leaders of the two parties will be nominated as Chairpersons/Vice Chairpersons of the Boards. The Coordination Committee decided that Sainik Board, Social Welfare Advisory Board and State Women Commission would have Chairpersons.
However, all Chairpersons and Vice Chairpersons will have the rank of Ministers of State.
Sources said the appointments of Chairpersons and Vice Chairpersons of the Boards/ Corporations could take place shortly.
The Coordination Committ-ee decided that three portfolios as Ministers of State—Rural Development Department, Horticulture and Ladakh Affairs—which were held by the party leaders Abdul Ghani Kohli and Chering Dorjey before their elevation to Cabinet on April 23 should be allocated among the BJP’s Ministers of State keeping in view the PDP-BJP understanding.
As per the PDP-BJP agreement, the Departments with PDP’s Cabinet Ministers will be held by the BJP’s Ministers of State. Similarly, the MoS of PDP will hold charge of the Departments with the BJP Cabinet Ministers.
Dorjey and Kohli were holding charge of Cooperatives and Transport Independently as Ministers of State and they were allocated the same portfolios on their elevation. Dorjey was holding charge of Ladakh Affairs as MoS, which is held by the Chief Minister in the Cabinet rank while Kohli was holding charge of Rural Development and Horticulture, which were held by PDP leaders Abdul Haq Khan and Abdul Rehman Veeri respectively.
The Coordination Commit-tee recommended to the Government that three portfolios should be allocated among the BJP’s Ministers of State.
Meanwhile, the Coordi-nation Committee approved the decision of Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC) on New Recruitment Policy to put the Policy in public domain to elicit opinion of all stakeholders.
The CSC, which is also headed by Dr Nirmal Singh, has directed the GAD to put the Policy in public domain on June 1 and invite suggestions and objections from the people. The CSC will also meet stakeholders after suggestions before submitting its report to the Cabinet.
The CSC is likely to miss the deadline of June 1, which it had been assigned by the Cabinet for submitting the report, as it has decided to give ample time to the people to give their suggestions and objections on the Policy.
Sources said the BJP members in the Coordination Committee charged some of the PDP Cabinet Ministers with taking decisions unilaterally without consulting the Ministers of State. The issue was settled in the meeting itself, they added.
The Coordination Committee dwelt on the issues of West Pakistan and PoK refugees and Kashmiri migrants and decided to address their genuine issues.
The Coordination Committ-ee meeting presided over by Dr Nirmal Singh was attended by Jugal Kishore Sharma, State BJP president, Shamsher Singh, Rajya Sabha member from BJP, Health and Medical Education Minister Choudhary Lal Singh (BJP), Mehbooba Mufti, PDP president, Muzaffar Hussain Baig, Lok Sabha member from Baramulla, Haj and Auqaf Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri and Education Minister Naeem Akhter, both PDP.
BJP MP from Ladakh Thupstan Chhewang and PDP MP from Srinagar Tariq Hamid Qarra couldn’t make it to the meeting.
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