Showkat Wani
Bureaucratic inertia dissipates all good initiatives and policies of the Government and results in wastage of human resources , time and money of the exchequer. In administrative functioning a mere single or two incompetent and inept officers prove as an impediment in all the policies and programmers that are formulated for the benefit of the large populace. Soon after taking over the reins of J&K UT, Lt.Governor Girish Chander Murmu was magnanimous enough to issue directions to all administrative secretaries, that all the human resource issues like promotions, confirmations and DPC’s must be completed within a time bound manner. It was a welcome step which may have brought unpredictable results, would have infused new blood in the officials and increased their enthusiasm. As a result the upbeat officials would have sweat it out to see policies and programmes of the Government are implemented in letter and spirit and same would have resulted in overall improvement in the administrative functioning of the Government.
Take the case of Education Department , more than eight thousand In-charge officers of various cadres like In-charge Joint Directors , In-charge Chief Education Officers, In-charge Principals , In-charge Zonal Education Officers , In-charge Headmasters ,In-charge Lecturers have been waiting for their regularization from 2012 onwards. Promoted in their own pay and grade to the next posts in the year 2013 and before ,with the assurance of being confirmed/regularized within six months, has proved a deception for them as the assurance has not been fulfilled till date. In the long wait of last seven years more than three hundred(300) in-charge officials expired without getting the benefit of the hard work they had put in , the sweat they had evaporated ,thus denying the families the benefit of the promotion (pensionary benefits) their loved ones had been granted when he/she was alive. Similarly a good chunk almost more than two thousand retired without getting their legitimate, due wages for which they had served the Department/community, as their pensions were settled in grades prior to their OPG promotion. Justice demands that in old age they needed rest , affection , love , admiration for the service they have rendered but contrary to that, they are moving from pillar to post to get their regularization /Confirmation so that they can get pension in their promoted grades. The story of working in-charge officers is no different. They are also knocking every door of higher echelons of Power to get their due and deserving right. In this hope years have passed , governments have changed , but end to their miseries is nowhere in sight.
Sensing gravity of this human issue, , taking into consideration the plight of expired/retired persons, and to settle this extraordinary problem with extra ordinary measure , the then State Cabinet in the year 2018 came out with an order where by one time exemption was granted to Education Department to Regularize /Confirm all the In-charge Officers/Officials of all cadres within two months, without referring their cases to Public Service commission. A new ray of hope kindled in the hearts of In-charge Officers .The Education Department came out with an Order Vide. Govt. Order No. 707-Edu of 2018 Dated 28-05-2018, framed High Powered Committee and guidelines were set for processing the cases of regularization of all in-charge cadres. Two months lapsed without any concrete outcome, nothing happened and in August 2018, the operation of the order was stayed in Hon’ble High Court , thus dashing to ground the hopes of all aspiring officials. After lapse of more than five months , the State Administrative Council (SAC), once again granted one time exemption to the Education Department for regularizing all In-charge Officers of all caders (expired /retired/working) so that the huge backlog is cleared. Vide SAC decision 166/22/2018 Dated:07-12-2018 , SAC set guidelines /formalities for regularizing all the In-charge Officers(Backlog/Fresh) of all categories of Education Department. In the light of above SAC decision ,General Administration Department issued government order No 114-GAD of 2019 Dated 23 -01-2019 “Granting One Time exemption for regularization/Promotion of officers (backlog and fresh ) in respect of each gazetted category”, and Government Order No. 115-GAD of 2019 Dated:23-01-2019, sanction was accorded to the constitution of High powered committee headed by Administrative Secretary School education Department as Chairman for considering the cases of regularization of each gazetted category without referring them to J&K Public Service Commission .Each aspirant, whether kiths and kins of expired in-charge officer, the retired in-charge officers with their families and working in-charge officers had every reason to celebrate these Government orders and thought that their long wait will soon be over. But alas bureaucratic inertia , lack of accountability in the hierarchy of administration, withered the hopes which once again started turning gloomy , because no progress was being made .
Somehow after a lapse of seven months, the meeting of the high powered committee was held, almost 8 joint directors, 27 chief education officers, and 450 in-charge lecturers of four subjects Botany, Chemistry, Environmental Science and Economics etc. were cleared by the committee. The remaining more than 7000 officers were now sure that meetings will be held regularly and cases will be cleared as on their part ,the in-charge officers had submitted all the documents to the administrative department , be it vigilance clearance , integrity/work conduct certificates, APRs , verified service particulars through concerned directorates. But that was not the case . No DPC was convened during last ten long months despite repeated requests by the aggrieved to all concerned authorities from time to time. Is not it the duty of the government to fix the responsibility for this dilly dallying practice by some inept deadwood in the department , who may be misguiding their superiors by seeking same documents from subordinate offices month after month , only to impede the process of regularization. It is the treatment meted out to the builders of the nation , who do not demand moon or stars, but the wages /salary for the duties they have rendered to the department. It is high time that government fix responsibility not in this case only but all administrative departments so that people do not suffer to get their deserved and legitimate rights and the dead wood in the administration are identified who always invite curse to the department, to the Government and become a cause of corruption. The expectations, hopes of In-charge officers of all gazetted categories of education department waiting from last seven years, augmented recently after coming to know that Dr.Asgar Hussain Samoon Principal Secretary has been assigned the charge of Education Department. Since integrity ,administrative acumen , honesty , deliverance and disposal of the officer is impeccable, it is hoped that such issues which have been hanging due to inept middle rung officers , may be cleared at an earliest. Letus wait…….
(The author is In-charge Lecturer,
HSS DH Pora, Kulgam)
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
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