Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Mar 7: A senior minister is shielding Chief Education Officer (CEO) Budgam who is involved in regularization of minors, large scale appointments of Contingency Paid Workers (CPWs) and lack of administrative action on his part against officials who are involved in various frauds and mis-utilization of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) funds.
The Secretary General Administrative Department, Mohammad Asharaf Bukhari, had written to the Secretary Education Department to take immediate action against the culprits in the light of recommendations of the Inquiry Committee formed by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir last year.
The Committee has recommended action against CEO Budgam, Nazir Ahmad Dar, several Zonal Education Officers and other staff which indulged in “criminal conspiracy and malafide intentions by making irregularities in the engagement of ReTs, regularization as general line teachers, engagement of Class IV in KGBV, engagement of CPW and their regularization and mis-utilization of funds under SSA”.
Highly placed sources said that Education Department didn’t take any action against the CEO as one of the senior Ministers is shielding him. However, the Education Department suspended few ZEOs and other staff on the recommendations of Inquiry Committee.
Deputy Chief Minister, Incharge Education Tara Chand, today directed that the CEO be attached with immediate effect and the cases be referred to Crime Branch for investigation. “I have asked the Secretary to issue the order of attachment for Chief Education Officer, Budgam and refer the cases of appointment of teachers on fraud certificates, regularization of 14 minors in Education Department and mis-utlilization of funds under SSA to Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police for investigation”, he told Excelsior.
Commissioner Secretary Education, Hardesh Kumar, told Excelsior that the department has taken action against 15 officials of the department on the recommendations of Inquiry Committee but they (officials) have got the Inquiry report stayed from the High Court.
“We will file objections before the High Court by next date of hearing of the case and will seek vacation of the stay on the action taken against these officials and on Inquiry report”, Kumar told Excelsior.
The officer said: “We will also seek permission of the High Court for handing over the case of minors being appointed in Education Department and other appointments made on fraud certificates besides mis-utlilization of funds under SSA, to Crime Brach.”
Sources said that CEO Budgam has appointed around 100 CPW’s in the Education Department for past few years. “He has appointed 18 CPW’s from villages of Bugam, Kultreh and Pohru in Budgam when as per norms only a single person form one village can be appointed as CPW”, sources added. And as per inquiry report he has also regularized 110 CPW’s including 14 minors.
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