Avinash Azad
Due to lackadaisical approaches of administrative secretaries of different departments, despite repeated orders/directions issued by Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta on backdoor appointments, nothing concrete has been done so far, however, many media houses have reported the issue of backdoor appointment and the initiated taken by the CS to eradicate this menace.
“J&K Chief Secretary Dr. Arun Mehta sought details of backdoor appointments from administrative secretaries within one month, for the appointment made between 2010 to 2023. The Chief Secretary to take actions on Administrative Secretaries/Officers who issued these appointment orders”, thedailyguardian.com, reported on 25th May, 2023.
Recently, during a meeting with senior officers, the Chief Secretary again directed the administrative secretaries to submit action taken report (ATR). “Chief Secretary, J&K Dr Arun Mehta to crackdown on the defaulting officers, who had made backdoor appointments w.ef 2010 to 2023 again directed all Administrative Secretaries for immediate submissions of ATRs on Backdoor appointments, as stands already directed”, crosstownnews.in, reported on June 2, 2023.
It is pertinent to mention here that the backdoor appointees in many department of J&K government has reached to senior positions, so it is necessary to check genuineness of appointments done so far, along with that government should ascertain appointments/promotions of all the government employees from Class-IV to JKAS level.
In this regard, in 2022 government of Jammu and Kashmir initiated an inquiry into the matters related to the backdoor appointments, but the inquiry officers took the non-serious approach and did not conduct the inquiry, let alone the submission of report in one month. “In terms of Rule 33 of Jammu and Kashmir Classification Control and Appeal Rules, 1956, sanction is hereby accorded to the appointment of Mohammad Shahid Saleem Dar, JKAS, Managing Director, J&K Housing Board, as Inquiry Officer to conduct an in-depth inquiry into the misconduct of erring officers for misusing their official powers/positions for making illegal appointments/regularizations in the Urban Local Bodies, Kashmir since 2001 onwards, in violation of regulations and without following due procedure of law. Further, it is ordered that Accounts Officer, Directorate of Urban Local Bodies, Kashmir shall be the Presenting Officer in the case. The Inquiry Officer shall submit the report along with specific recommendations within a period of one month from the date of issuance of order”, Govt order no.86-JK (HUD) of 2022, dated 16/06/2022. Since he belonged to the similar community who made their fortune through backdoor and were most likely to be effected, he chose not to conduct the inquiry. The enquiry officer, Mohammad Shahid Saleem Dar, presently posted Director Forensic Science Laboratory, J&K, did not answer the phone calls, if he replies, his version will also be updated.
“The inquiry officer, transferred from J&K Housing Board on 29/06/2023 and posted Director Forensic Science Laboratory, J&K on 29/09/2023, more than three months, when the inquiry was ordered”, sources in Civil Secretariat informed The Hidden News, adding the officer (inquiry officer), instead of doing his job preferred to sit silently.
“May be his known and friends were involved in backdoor appointment done in Local Bodies Kashmir in violation of rules. So the officer, did not fulfil his mandate”, the sources, adding that however, as MD JK Housing Board, this officer had given clean chit to his subordinate, despite he was facing serious allegations of disproportionate assets. “This officer, pen downed a report on basis of oral and defensive reply given by the officer in question”, they further added.
Sources in civil secretariat claimed that CS, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, even did not tolerate misconduct IAS officers. “A senior IAS office, was planning to grab the post of Administrative Secretary, Finance Department, the department by held by CS himself, on 17 June 2023, Santosh D Vaidya was appointed as Principal Secretary, Finance Department”, sources said, adding that the officer, who was desperate for this post was ignored by the government, due corruption in his department, though the officer himself was not involved in any kind of scam, but his subordinates, keeping the boss dark had made their fortune.
