| Property statement of KAS officers accessible, not readable | | GAD website conceals more, reveals less | | Avinash Azad
ET Report
Jammu, Sept 6: The website of General Administration Department (GAD) conceals more and reveals less, as the property details of KAS officers, made public by the GAD, is accessible but not readable.
Interestingly, the property statements of bureaucrats was made available on its website by GAD following intervention of State Information Commission, under Right to Information Act. According to sources, the information regarding property of IAS officers available on the website can be accessed easily, while the property statement disclosed by most of KAS officers is not readable.
"There are property statements of 85 IAS officers on the website, and one can easily access and understand it", sources said, and added that details of 550 KAS officers is available on the website that is not readable. "The GAD has put property details of 508 out of 550 officers on the website, hand written information on form-A, available are hazed", they added.
"Prior to introduction of RTI Act in state, it was mandatory upon all public servants (from peon to Chief Secretary) under J&K Civil Services Rules (CSR) to submit their annual property statement before the concerned HODs, but only a fewer officers were abiding the rule", the sources said.
They further said that each citizen of the state has right to know about the assets of the public servants which includes IAS/KAS officers.
"The government in 2011 following being summoned by the State Information Commission, had made assets of the IAS and KAS officers public via official website of General Administration Department (GAD)", sources said, and added that earlier the Public Information Officer (PIO) as well as the first appellate authority of GAD had denied making the assets of IAS and KAS officers public in response to an information seeker.
Sources alleged that adamant to disclose their property, the bureaucracy in the J&K once again, trying to escape to disclose their property in transparent manners. |
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