Neeraj Rohmetra
JAMMU, Sept 17: Differences have surfaced in six and half months old PDP-BJP coalition Government headed by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed with Deputy Chief Minister and BJP veteran Dr Nirmal Singh today lodging strong protest with Sayeed over transfers of senior police officers including three Additional Director Generals of Police (ADGPs) by the Government yesterday without any approval of the Cabinet.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Dr Singh today took up the issue and lodged protest with the Chief Minister, a day after the Home Department, whose charge is held by the Chief Minister himself issued an order ordering transfer and postings of three senior IPS officers of the rank of ADGPs and adjusted a DIG and a SSP in Jammu zone, where BJP has 26 out of 37 MLAs.
This was for the second time when the Deputy Chief Minister has protested the transfers of senior police officers without approval of the Cabinet.
Sources said the Deputy Chief Minister categorically told the Chief Minister that transfers and postings of the officers of the rank of ADGPs and adjustments of DIG and SSP can’t be done without approval of the Cabinet. Describing the decision as `violation of coalition dharma’, Dr Nirmal Singh said all such transfers and postings should be referred to the Cabinet for approval.
Dr Singh is reported to have conveyed to the Chief Minister that the BJP was equal partner in the coalition Government and it doesn’t behove good for a Government to order transfers and postings without the Cabinet approval and consent of the coalition partner.
Only yesterday, Principal Secretary, Home Department RK Goyal had issued an order in which three ADGPs including Navin Aggarwal, Lalat Indu Mohanty and Dr B Srinivas were transferred and posted while Ashkoor Wani, who was officiating as DIG Jammu-Samba-Kathua range for past three and half months was confirmed as the DIG and given additional charge of the DIG Traffic Jammu, which he was previously holding. Through the same order, senior IPS officer Uttam Chand was also asked to resume his duties as the SSP Jammu.
The response of the Chief Minister to the protes0t lodged by Dr Nirmal Singh couldn’t be ascertained immediately. Sources confirmed that the transfers of senior police officers were not only issued without the Cabinet approval, they were not even sent to the Cabinet Minister for approval through circulation, which is done in the absence of the Cabinet meeting. The BJP Ministers were not consulted on the transfers and the orders were issued by the Home Department on the directions of the Chief Minister.
The PDP-BJP were also at the logger heads following unilateral imposition of 12.5 per cent Services Tax by Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Drabu on the air tickets of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi ji pilgrims. Despite the issue being taken up with Drabu by Dr Singh and protests by several political parties and other organisations, the ST has not been withdrawn so far.
Dr Nirmal Singh has welcomed the decision to seal the apartment of the son of former Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather at Channi Himmat, which was being constructed in violation of the High Court order. The charge of Housing and Urban and Development Department is held by Dr Nirmal Singh.
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