ULB acts against own orders, awards plum posts to tainted officers

Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Feb 12: Despite serious charges of fund embezzlement and illegally appointing employees in the Urban Local Bodies and the department’s own order of posting them on “non-sensitive” posts, the Government has reinstated tainted officials in the civic body and posted them in sensitive posts.
The tainted officials namely Imtiyaz Ahmad Dar, Abdul Rashid Shah, and Imtiyaz Ahmad Ganie, as per the Order No. HUD of 2014 issued by Secretary Housing and urban Development Department Satesh Nehru, have been posted at sensitive posts at different municipal bodies in the Kashmir province.
The order, a copy of which is with Excelsior, clearly stated that “the officers shall be posted against non-sensitive posts by the Directors of Urban Local Bodies.”
But contrary to the order, these Executive Officers have been given sensitive postings.
Executive Officers, Imtiyaz Ahmad Dar has been posted at a sensitive place at Municipal Committee Pampore, Abdul Rashid Shah has been placed at MC Sopore, Abdul Lateef Mir has been posted at Pulwama, while as Head Assistant Imtiyaz Ahmad Ganie has been posted at sensitive Kokernag.
These officials facing suspension on charges of illegal appointments were reinstated last year by the department without any action against them.
Sources in the ULB said these officials were reinstated by the ULB after some bureaucrats and politicians pressured the Department for their reinstatement.
Sources said that illegal job racket has been flourishing in the civic body and hundreds of illegal employees have been appointed and their salaries were paid from the funds meant for development of the towns.