| Controversies put war against corruption on back burner | | CS headed panel fails to meet, corrupt officials get breather | | Fazal Khan
Early Times Report
srinagar, Aug 7: The much hyped war against corruption in Jammu and Kashmir seems to have taken a back seat as the controversies surrounding the separate AIIMS for Jammu region and government deciding to hold screening test for Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers have snowballed into major issues.
Sources told Early Times the second list of the corrupt officials which has been prepared by investigating agencies is almost ready but due to the pre-occupation of the people at the helm the final decision about whom the axe would fall on has not been taken so far.
The panel headed by the Chief Secretary Iqbal Khandey which was supposed to meet last month to examine the corruption cases individually has not met till date due to officials being pre-occupied with the events which have unfurled during the past three weeks.
"The high-level panel has to take the feedback from the investigating agencies before giving its final nod to act against at least 50 officials, which includes top officials," sources added.
Pertinently, the State Vigilance Organization (SVO) had submitted a list of 162 tainted officials to the Government. On July 1, the Government terminated the services of 63 officials of whom 25 were allegedly caught red-handed by the SVO while accepting the bribe.
Officers who were terminated last month include five Kashmir Administrative Officers, two Chief Engineers, three doctors, officials from the School Education, Revenue, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Finance, Public Health Engineering, Home, Power, Roads and Buildings, Forest, Rural Development, Housing and Urban Development, Transport, Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation and Labour and Employment departments.
Sources told Early Times a few ministers are trying their best to ensure that the second list of the corrupt officials prepared by the various agencies gets delayed further so that they are able to save their own men whose names figure in the list of corrupt officials. "A few ministers are leaving no stone unturned to push the matter under the carpet as they fear that stern action against the officials can open the Pandora's box and next target could be the politicians," sources added.
Insiders revealed that Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who is spearheading the movement against the corruption, is likely to summon the panel which was assigned the job to go through the second list of corrupt officials in coming days to ascertain the progress made by it vis-à-vis the list of corrupt officials. "The Chief Minister is keen on ensuring that corrupt officials are shown the exit door so that it can send a strong message to the entire administration," they added.
They said that when the first list of the corrupt officials was released many people had pointed out that government has failed to act against the big fishes. "The Chief Minister wants to set the records straight by acting against the big fishes against whom corruption charges have been established," the insider added.
Sources said that administration and the ministers remaining busy during the past three weeks has provided a chance to the officials who fear that their name may figure in the second list to approach their political bosses with a plea to somehow put the lid over the entire issue. "The agitation for AIIMS in the Jammu region and teachers confronting the government over screening test issue in Srinagar has come as a respite for the corrupt officials and they are hoping that the focus of the government would shift to other issues and they would be spared," sources added. |
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