Step aimed at checking illegalities, ensuring accountability
Axe to fall on officials escaping action since long
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 4: Axe is all set to fall on several officers, who have been escaping the action since long, as Government has sought status of the enquiries pending in different wings of the Housing and Urban Development Department during the past five years. Moreover, this step would help in ensuring accountability in these establishments having the primary responsibility of resolving the grievances of the people and completion of vital projects.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that Principal Secretary to Government, Department of Housing and Urban Development Dheeraj Gupta has come to know that several enquiries, which were ordered by the Administrative Department in the last five years, have yet not reached the logical conclusion because of the non-serious approach of those who had been entrusted this task.
Due to this, all those officials who were in the dock for committing several illegalities have remained unpunished till date and they have gathered an impression that they can go scot-free even after indulging in illegal activities and throwing rules and regulations to the winds, sources further said.
Majority of these enquiries pertain to illegal appointments, facilitating encroachments in violation of Master Plans and the plans approved by the Building Operation Control Authority (BOCA), tampering of official records, embezzlement of funds, financial irregularities in the execution of works, allotment of contracts in violation of rules and laid down guidelines and misutilization of funds etc.
Taking serious note of inordinate delay in taking these enquiries to the logical conclusion, the Housing and Urban Development Department on the directions of Principal Secretary Dheeraj Gupta has dashed a communication to the Commissioners of Jammu and Srinagar Municipal Corporations, Vice-Chairman of Lakes and Waterways Development Authority, Vice-Chairmen of Jammu and Srinagar Development Authorities, Directors of Urban Local Bodies, Managing Director of J&K Housing Board, Chief Architect, J&K Architects Organization, Chief Town Planners, Chief Engineer Urban Environment Engineering Department, Director Building Centre, Chief Executive Officer of Katra Development Authority and the Chief Executive Officers of Urban Development Agency/ Kashmir/ Jammu.
“You are requested to furnish the status of the pending enquiries ordered by the Administrative Department in the last five years, which are yet to reach conclusion without any fail”, read the communication of the Housing and Urban Development Department addressed to heads of 11 wings, the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR.
Sources disclosed that soon on the receipt of the information from the heads of these wings of the Housing and Urban Development Department the Principal Secretary will try to ascertain the exact reasons behind enquiries remaining inconclusive and then pass explicit directions for taking the same to the logical conclusion in the shortest possible time.
“With this axe will fall on all those officers who even after committing several illegalities have remained unpunished till date”, sources said, adding “moreover, the initiative of taking pending enquiries to logical conclusion will also help in ensuring accountability and transparency in the functioning of 11 wings of the Housing and Urban Development Department”.
They further said, “unless strict action is taken after completion of pending enquiries there cannot be any deterrent effect”, adding “moreover, the step initiated by the Principal Secretary Housing and Urban Development Department will break the myth of the erring officials that they can go scot-free after committing one after another illegality”.
It is pertinent to mention here that EXCELSIOR in its edition dated May 22, 2019 had exclusively reported that in the much publicised case of selling Kahcharai land and allowing illegal constructions on the same in Pampore area of Kashmir valley, the accused officials have remained unpunished due to ordering of one after another inquiry during the past over two years.
This revelation also acted as eye-opener for the Housing and Urban Development Department and ultimately steps have been initiated to ascertain the reasons behind dilly-dallying approach in completion of departmental enquiries.
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