Author: Muzamil Jaleel
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: May 2, 2011
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/1-500-illegal-appointments-in-jk-civic-bodies/784377/0
At a time when the J&K government is emphasising
the need to empower grass roots governance, a large-scale illegal appointment
racket has been exposed in its flagship Urban Local Bodies Department that
overlooks the functioning of 83 muncipal bodies across the state.
The department has made more than 1,500 illegal
appointments, almost doubling the number of employees. The result: funds raised
from local tax collection, devolution funds from the state's revenue and developmental
grants are now exclusively utilised to pay salaries.
"I know it has been happening but I have
not done anything myself," Deputy Chief Minister and J-K's Urban Development
Minister Tara Chand told The Indian Express. "We are trying to investigate
the matter. I have set up a two-committees to probe into this entire affair
in Kashmir and Jammu provinces."
Director Urban Local Bodies, Kashmir, Mohamamd
Afzal said he had already sought information about these illegal employees
from the executive officers of the 47 muncipal bodies across Kashmir province.
"I have been posted just a month ago and I have already sent several
reminders to the officials concerned for details."
The racket, sources say, is flourishing under
political patronage. Sources in the department allege senior members of the
ruling coalition and influential bureaucrats have turned the entire department
into a job mafia, which has led to the diversion of the department's resources
to paying salaries of the illegal employees.
In fact, the government has been allegedly
promoting the illegal employment racket by violating its own norms and liberally
diverting additional funds to various municipal bodies that have indulged
in illegal appointments.
The extent of the government funding of municipal
bodies is based on the population of the town, but government has set aside
this essential norm and is, instead, releasing funds as per the number of
employees, thus encouraging this illegal employment racket.
In fact, the J&K government's anti-corruption
watchdog, Vigilance Organisation, has been probing serious complaints of irregularities
in the Urban Local Bodies Department ever since 1996. However, the investigations
never reached their logical conclusion because the corrupt officials were
always shielded by top politicians.
On March, 31, the Vigilance Organization (letter
no. VOK- BKB - 536) again sought details of employees, cases of fresh appointments
in councils and committees, sanctioned post strength of every municipal council
and salary budget grant-in-aid with regard to the salary of employees, especially
in the municipal bodies of Bandipore, Sumbal, Hajin, Baramulla, Sopore, Kunzar,
Tangmarg, Watergam, Pattan, Uri, Handwara, Kupwara and Langate.
The probe was expanded to several other municipal
bodies of South Kashmir and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's Ganderbal constituency.
Here are few glaring examples of the illegal
employment racket:
In the Sopore Muncipal body, the government
found 22 illegal appointments in one go and the probe established the fact.
The then Executive Officer Latief Ahmad Mir was suspended and chargesheeted.
On February, 3, 2010, the government issued
an order, saying: "It is established by the inquiry officer that the
then Director Urban Bodies, Kashmir and other functionaries are responsible
for the appointments in Muncipal Committee, Sopore, on non-existing posts".
The government's follow up action was shocking.
While Mir was reinstated and sent back to head the Sopore municipal body,
the then director of the department Abdul Hamid Wani was made Labour Commissioner.
In Omar Abdullah's Ganderbal constituency,
more than 50 illegal appointments have surfaced. Sources say the entire records
of this fraud have been hidden by previous Executive Officer Abdul Rashid,
who retired recently.
The modus operandi has been simple: officials
in the committee would make illegal recruitments and then the director would
issue transfer orders to other institutions and hide the fraud. The then secretary
of the Ganderbal municipal body Gowhar Togu allegedly appointed a dozen relatives
and was subsequently promoted and posted as executive officer in South Kashmir.
On February 25 this year, the Urban Development
Ministry issued a government order threatening disciplinary action against
its officers and recovery of the money taken as salaries by the illegal appointees.
The ministry also sought details of employees
recruited during last five years besides suspending a section officer in the
Directorate of Urban Local Bodies.
But there was no follow-up to the government
order and the Urban Development Ministry suddenly avoided speedy implementation
of its own order.
