HoDs directed to maintain status quo ante of transfers, postings
Says no approval of competent authority was obtained
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 8: In a major development, Govern-ment has rescinded over 24 transfer and posting orders, references and approvals issued by the former Commissioner/Secretary of Agriculture Production Depa-rtment Mohammad Mehraj-ud-Din Khan, who has been booked by the Crime Branch of State Police for tampering his date of birth record.
The EXCELSIOR in its edition dated August 17, 2018 had exclusively reported that several transfers and postings were made in the Agriculture Production Department by the then Administrative Secretary Moha-mmad Mehraj-ud-Din Khan without the formal approval of the Advisor to the Governor Khurshid Ahmed Ganai.
It was also highlighted that several orders were issued by the officer even after the date of his own transfer from the post of Administrative Secretary Agric-ulture Production Department ordered by the General Administration Department.
Following these revelations, the Government had immediately kept in abeyance certain transfer and posting orders issued by the then Commissioner Secretary to Government Agriculture Production Department and it was announced that a detailed inquiry will be conducted through an Additional Secretary rank officer so as to identify all those orders and references which were issued by the former Administrative Secretary without the formal approval.
Now, on the basis of inquiry the present Administrative Secretary of the department Manzoor Ahmad Lone has issued an order rescinding over 24 orders and references passed by the former Commissioner/ Secretary of the department.
“Government orders issued/administrative appro-vals conveyed and references made to various Directorates of Agriculture Production Department concerning transfers, deployments and elevations are hereby rescinded abintio as the same have been issued without the approval of the competent authority”, read the Government Order No.248-Agri dated September 7, 2018 issued by Manzoor Ahmad Lone, the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR.
The Government orders which have been rescinded are 184-Agri dated July 6, 2018; 188-Agri dated July 10, 2018; 189-Agri dated July 10, 2018; 190-Agri dated July 11, 2018; 197-Agri dated July 18, 2018; 207-Agri dated July 25, 2018; 210-Agri dated July 30, 2018; 212-Agri dated July 31, 2018; 214-Agri dated July 31, 2018; 220-Agri dated August 7, 2018 and 222-Agri dated August 7, 2018.
Majority of these orders pertain to transfers and postings while some are relating to deputation of few officials to the Directorate of Command Area Development Kashmir for a period of one year.
The references and approvals whereby Heads of the Departments under the control of Administrative Secretary of Agriculture Production Department were allowed to issue transfer and posting orders of gazetted as well as non-gazetted officials have also been rescinded. Majority of such instructions were issued during the period between August 1, 2018 and August 10, 2018 without obtaining approval of the competent authority.
One such reference was also issued by Mohammad Mehraj-ud-Din Khan on August 14, 2018 three days after his own transfer from the Agriculture Production Department.
Mehraj-ud-Din Khan was transferred by the Government from Agriculture Production Department vide Order No.1260-GAD of 2018 dated 11.8.2018 and posted as Commissioner/ Secretary to the Government ARI and Trainings Department. Within days of his joining as Administrative Secretary of ARI and Trainings Department he was booked by the Crime Branch of State Police for tampering date of birth record.
The Government has directed all the concerned Heads of the Departments to maintain the status quo ante in respect of the transfers and postings of the concerned officials made through the orders, which stand rescinded.
“By rescinding over two dozen orders, references and approvals the Governor’s Administration has sent a loud and clear message to all the departments that transfer industry will not be allowed anymore and whosoever is found involved will be taken to the task”, sources said.
It is pertinent to mention here that the then Administrative Secretary came under the suspicion after he started issuing different transfer orders in a single day instead of preparing a single list of officials required to be transferred and obtaining approval of the competent authority.
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