*Only 1/3rd of SVO list cleared in first order
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 4: More tainted officers and officials would be removed from the administration in near future as the requisite legal formalities for dispensing their services are being finalized before placing the same before the high-level committee headed by Chief Secretary, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey. The Committee has cleared only 1/3rd of the list of deadwood prepared by the State Vigilance Organization and General Administration Department in its first order issued some days back.
Reliable sources told EXCELSIOR that State Vigilance Organization has submitted a list of 267 officers and officials, who have been booked for indulging in corrupt practices and against whom all the charges stand proved.
However, only 1/3rd of this list was cleared by the high-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey and comprising Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, B B Vyas, Home Secretary, R K Goyal, Commissioner/ Secretary General Administration Department, Gazanffar Hussain and Law Secretary, Mohammad Ashraf Mir.
The remaining officers and officials could not be shown the doors by the high-level committee for want of certain formalities and the same are being finalized in the Vigilance Wing of the General Administration Department, sources said while disclosing that soon after completion of the formalities the high-level committee would recommend dispensing of services of more officers and officials to the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for approval.
Disclosing that deadwood will include those involved in multiple corruption cases, sources said that the State Vigilance Organization had submitted the list of 31 such officers and officials but some of them could not be recommended for removal from services for want of certain requisite formalities, which are required to be fulfilled to withstand the judicial scrutiny in case of challenge of order regarding removal from the services.
These officers include engineers involved in causing loss to State exchequer by compromising on quality while executing developmental works, a senior officer involved in conferring of ownership rights of land by abusing official position, exorbitant purchases in the Education Department, illegal appointments and bungling in procurements, conferring wrongful gains to the private parties at the cost of exchequer of State Financial Corporation and illegal and fraudulent leasing out of land.
Besides those involved in multiple corruption cases, the list to be considered by the high-level committee for dispensing services mainly includes those officers and officials, who were caught red-handed while accepting and demanding bribe and found guilty of abuse of power during joint verifications conducted by State Vigilance Organization sleuths and officers of the concerned departments particularly the engineering ones.
Stating that disclosing names at the present juncture would hamper the process initiated by the State Government for removal of deadwood from the administration, sources said, “in order to ensure that removal of tainted officers and officials from administration withstand judicial scrutiny, verification reports are being obtained from all the relevant quarters”, adding “the orders which will be issued and those issued some days back are strictly in compliance to the provisions under Article 226 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services Rules”.
“There is an inbuilt mechanism under this Article whereby Government is empowered to assess the performance of the officers/officials on completion of 48 years of age or 22 years of service and accordingly take decision which includes compulsory retirement from the service”, sources said while regretting that despite submission of regular lists by the State Vigilance Organization in this regard no decision was being taken in the past.
When contacted, Minister for Education, Naeem Akhtar, who is also Government Spokesman, said, “we have already made it clear that Government would not tolerate the officers and officials, whose integrity is doubtful”.
When asked specifically about the removal of more tainted officials as per the list submitted by the State Vigilance Organization, the Minister said, “the process of infusing accountability in governance would continue and the result of this exercise would become visible in future also”. He further said that present Government was just ensuring strict implementation of the vital provision of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services Rules.
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