Create hurdles in resolution of key issues in distts
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, May 16: Unbelievable it may sound but it is a fact that majority of the Heads of the Departments have been treating as trash the repeated orders of the General Administration and Planning Departments regarding attending of main and review meetings of District Development Boards and strict implementation of their decisions in a time bound manner.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that the General Administration Department vide Circular No.44 dated October 13, 2017 had conveyed its displeasure over absence of officers from the main and review meetings of the District Development Boards, which otherwise are considered as institutions of inclusivity.
Through this circular, the General Administration Department had brought into the notice of all the Administrative Secretaries and Heads of the Departments the concern of the Chairmen of the Boards over non-participation of large number of concerned officers in the DDB meetings. “This is happening despite proper delivery of the meeting notices to all the Heads of the Departments by the office of the concerned Deputy Commissioner”, the GAD had stated.
“In order to prevent such embarrassing situations, in future, it is impressed upon all the Administrative Secretaries and Heads of the Departments to attend the District Development Board meetings as well as their review meetings without failure”, the GAD had made it clear in the circular of October 13, 2017.
However, large number of officers continued to play truant by ignoring the explicit directions of the General Administration Department and this was viewed seriously by the Planning, Development and Monitoring Department, which vide circular dated December 27, 2017 observed: “Majority of the Heads of the Departments were not complying with the directions resulting in embarrassing situation in the District Board meetings/review meetings besides hampering the resolution of key issues of the concerned district”.
“All the Heads of the Departments are once again urged to attend the DDB meetings as well as review meetings without fail and in case of rare and unavoidable situation a senior representative may be deputed to attend the meeting with prior permission of the concerned Chairman”, the Planning Department had categorically mentioned in the circular.
Astonishingly, the repeated directives of the General Administration and Planning Departments have fallen on deaf ears and this is evident from the fact that there was hardly any District Development Board meeting convened for approval of 2018-19 annual plan for the concerned district which was attended by all the concerned officers, sources said.
Perturbed over the prevailing situation, the Principal Secretary to Government, Planning, Development and Monitoring Department has once again come up with similar instructions. But, in the latest order nothing has been mentioned about as to what action would be taken against the officers who will continue to play truant, sources said.
“This is the height of the callousness on the part of majority of the Heads of the Departments as they are neither taking the directions of the General Administration and Planning Departments nor those of Chairmen of the District Development Boards seriously”, they further said, adding “it seems that General Administration and Planning Departments are too feeling complacent by issuing one after another circular instead of taking strict action against those Heads of the Departments who are repeatedly violating the directions”.
Are the Heads of the Departments superior to the Administrative Secretaries of General Administration and Planning Departments to defy the orders of latter? sources asked, adding “if the prevailing situation is allowed to continue the institutions of inclusivity will lose their importance and ultimately developmental activities will be the casualty”.
“Not only instructions on attending meetings of the District Development Boards majority of the Heads of the Departments are also showing non-serious approach towards implementation of their decisions in a time bound manner”, sources said, adding “there is hardly any DDB meeting held so far wherein concern was not expressed by the concerned Chairman and Legislators over dilly-dallying approach of the officers in initiating timely action on the DDB decisions”.
“Unless officers taking DDBs non-seriously are punished the objective of holding meetings will not be achieved”, sources said.
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