Move will check indiscipline, improve efficiency
*H&UDD officers examining models of other States
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Aug 16: To enforce discipline and efficiency in the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), which otherwise are plagued with corruption, favouritism and nepotism, the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is contemplating to create Common Municipal Cadre on the analogy of many States in the country.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that after deeply analyzing the functioning of all the Urban Local Bodies (Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and Municipal Committees) and the issues creating impediments in ensuring transparency and accountability, the Housing and Urban Development Department has felt the need of having Common Municipal Cadre.
“A detailed exercise is going on in this regard in the Housing and Urban Development Department on the instructions of Principal Secretary to the Government Dheeraj Gupta, who has even asked the team of officers to examine the models of such cadre in other States of the country”, sources said.
The Government of J&K UT has come to know that significant improvement has been witnessed in the working of the Municipal bodies in those States which have created Common Municipal Cadre. “Moreover, the complaints regarding corruption, nepotism and favouritism against officials of Municipal bodies have come down drastically in such States after the creation of Municipal Cadre”, sources further said.
“Over a period of time the Urban Local Bodies particularly in the Kashmir valley became breeding ground for the corruption as the politicians and bureaucrats got blue-eyed persons adjusted in the Municipalities by exploiting the powers vested in the Municipalities”, sources said, adding “it is because of this that the maximum cases of illegal appointments registered with the investigating agencies pertain to the Urban Local Bodies of Kashmir valley”.
It is pertinent to mention here that Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporation Act, 2000 states: “The Corporation may, with the previous, approval of the Government or any other officer authorised in this behalf, appoint such officers and servants as it considers necessary for the efficient discharge of its duties. The qualifications, methods of recruitment, salaries, leave, allowances and other conditions of service including disciplinary matters of such officers and servants shall be such as may be prescribed”.
Similar provision also exists in the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Act, 2000, which governs the functioning of the Municipal Councils and Municipal Committees.
“This provision of law was used only for making appointments of blue-eyed persons but no serious attention was paid towards the necessity of having proper regulations to ensure transparency in the appointments, selections and engagements despite the fact that this was the most appropriate mechanism to do so”, sources said.
Stating that there is no uniformity in the functioning of the Urban Local Bodies although they are governed by the same legislation, sources said, “the Jammu Municipal Corporation and Srinagar Municipal Corporation have been established under one legislation but there is no parity as far as certain posts, designations, duties and responsibilities and scales of pay are concerned, which cannot be justified in any way”, adding “similar discrepancies have also been noticed in respect of certain Municipal Councils and Committees in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir”.
“Even large number of employees posted in the Urban Local Bodies are considered themselves as indispensible as either there is no provision for their transfer from one Urban Local Body to the other or they challenge any such order in the courts on the basis of some vague provisions of the legislation”, sources said, adding “this is also one of the major reasons behind the increasing graph of corrupt practices in the Municipal bodies”.
They disclosed that Common Municipal Cadre would go a long way in handling all these issues effectively like in many States of the country where this system was introduced much earlier. “Following creation of cadre, the Government would not face any difficulty in transferring employees from Srinagar Municipal Corporation to Jammu Municipal Corporation and vice-versa”, sources added.
“Similar yardstick would also be adopted in respect of other Urban Local Bodies in the J&K UT. However, the Commissioner, Secretary and other key officers would be on deputation from other departments as per the practice is in vogue at present”, sources informed, adding “this would generate a fear among the officials that in case of any sort of complaint they would be transferred to other Municipal body”.
“We are hopeful that there would be significant improvement in the efficiency of the Urban Local Bodies and reduction in the complaints of different nature following creation of Common Municipal Cadre”, sources in the Housing and Urban Development Department said.
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