Akshay Azad
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Dec 22: The State Vigilance Commission (SVC) has virtually proved to be a toothless tiger with various government departments giving damn to its recommendations and corrupt continuing with their shady deeds without any apprehension.
Utter disregard of its recommendations by government departments could be gauged from fact that in the year 2015, toothless tiger SVC had forwarded a total of 884 cases to 35 government departments for departmental action out of which 847 are gathering dust while action was taken on only 37 cases.
As per the summary sheet of SVC, forwarded by Commission to Governor's office, which is in possession of Early Times, 884 cases were referred by Commission to various departments for Regular Departmental Actions (RDAs); A total of 108 cases were forwarded to Revenue/Relief department for RDA but action taken status was nil as all cases were left to gather dust.
52 cases in Health and Medical Education department, 78 cases in Education department, 20 cases in PDD, 26 cases in Social Welfare were recommended by the Commission, but action taken report was nil. Similarly in Forest 53 cases, PHE/I&FC 72, PWD 79, Agriculture 34, CAPD 22, Animal and Sheep Husbandry 4, Cooperative 12 Tourism 12, Stationary 1, Finance 13, Industries and Commerce 34, Estates 5, Technical, Education and YSS 14, SSRB 2, Culture 1, Information 1 cases were referred for departmental action but again the recommendations were left untouched.
In Fisheries deptt 3 cases, Transport deptt 9 cases, Law deptt 2, JKPCC 10, PCB 2, Science and Technology deptt 2, Labour deptt 4, Government Press 2, GAD 6, Private Persons 9, University 4 cases were referred for action but no action was taken against any of the officials involved.
Only three departments took some action on the reports including Home Rural Department and Housing and Urban Development Department. A total of 29 cases were forwarded to Home department, which took action on 23 recommendations while Rural Development took action on 13 cases out of 72 and Housing department took action on 1 case out of 87 forwarded while rest of cases remained in files.
"Huge amount of taxpayers' money is spent on functioning of SVC but its recommendations are taken very casually by government departments, boosting the morale of corrupt officials. Why government should not shut down such defunct organization?", a retired official said.
He further said that SVC was constituted with much fanfare but it has been reduced to a toothless tiger with the piling of 847 regular departmental actions, awaiting disposal by 35 government departments, raising a question mark over its modus operandi.
"All this is eroding the faith of common man in highest anti-graft body that is being taken non-seriously by various departments in the light of poor disposal", he said, adding that accountability of SVC members must be ensured by the Governor secretariat because huge taxpayers money is being wasted in the maintenance of SVC. |
