Bureaucratic slackness, lack of monitoring play spoilsport
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 19: Several important decisions taken by Governor N N Vohra soon after taking over the reins of the State during early 2016 have largely remained unimplemented even after the lapse of over two years due to casual approach of the concerned departments and lack of monitoring at the highest level in the civil administration.
As the State has once again come under the Governor’s rule it is expected that these and several other important decisions will start receiving due attention of the concerned bureaucrats and action will be taken without any further delay for overall improvement in the governance.
Following imposition of Governor’s rule in 2016, Governor N N Vohra constituted State Administrative Council (SAC) on February 5, 2016 to take decisions on the administrative matters of much importance and while chairing first meeting of SAC on February 7, 2016, he issued directions to all the Administrative Secretaries to personally monitor the implementation of all State Plan and Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
He had further directed that the established practice of touring particularly in the remote areas and inspections of subordinate offices should be rigorously enforced by all the Administrative Secretaries and services of Additional District Development Commissioners (ADDCs) posted in all the districts shall be effectively utilized for monitoring developmental works constantly.
However, neither the Administrative Secretaries have themselves started inspecting progress on the developmental works by paying visits to the project sites nor they have ensured such a practice by the officers of the departments under their charge, sources told EXCELSIOR, adding “what to talk of utilizing the services of the Additional District Development Commissioners the senior bureaucrats even failed to fill the posts of ADDCs in many districts of the State”.
In order to ensure concurrent evaluation of developmental works, the Governor had also issued directions for 3rd party evaluation through an independent agency but this practice has not been started in respect of majority of the projects so far, sources further informed.
While directing that technology should be fully leveraged to extend all possible benefits to the people in general, the Governor had fixed deadline of March 31, 2016 for completion of Aadhaar enrolment programme in the State. “This direction has not been implemented in full till date and large number of people are yet to be enrolled”, sources said, adding “the delay in enrolment of left over population is notwithstanding the fact that Chief Secretary B B Vyas has issued numerous directions to UIDAI for completion of exercise in a time bound manner”.
The State Administrative Council, in its first meeting, had also decided that a structured framework should be devised to recognize merit and good work for suitably rewarding Government functionaries at all levels of governance. The Governor had directed that the good officers/officials particularly at the cutting age level should be identified and groomed to hold higher responsibilities by enabling them to undergo relevant training programmes within and outside the country.
However, this framework has not been worked out by the General Administration Department, which otherwise is supposed to lay guidelines for all the departments, sources regretted. “Similar is the fate of decision of the SAC regarding solid waste management in a scientific manner”, they said, adding “heaps of garbage in different parts of the State are the testimonies of the utter disregard of the directions issued by the Governor more than two years back”.
During the second meeting of the State Administrative Council held on March 4, 2016, the Governor had issued directions for unbundling/restructuring of the Power Development Department, which was pending for the past quite long time. Though the State Cabinet of-late accorded sanction to the creation of one Transmission Company, one Trading Company and two Distribution Companies yet these companies have not been formally established till date, sources informed.
“While some exercise has been conducted to make Trading Company functional, there is absolutely no headway on formally establishing two Distribution and one Transmission Companies”, they further said.
It is pertinent to mention here that Trading Company will look after commercial aspect of the power sector and the Transmission Company will be responsible for all the aspects relating to transmission line of 33 KV above capacity and grid stations. Similarly, Distribution Companies will be responsible for maintenance of 33 KV and below network besides looking after the grievances of the power consumers.
“As the reins of the State are once again in the hands of the Governor N N Vohra it is expected that all the decisions taken by the State Administrative Council in 2016 will receive due attention of the concerned authorities”, sources said, adding “it is also expected that all those public and administrative issues which were hanging fire will receive the priority attention of the Governor”.
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