Malik Jehangir:
SRINAGAR: Governor Satya Pal Malik led state government has constituted a fact finding committee to probe fraudulent appointments in the Department of Technical Education, Jammu & Kashmir and autonomous bodies as well as organizations that fall under this department.
The committee has been asked to probe the matter in a professional manner and to submit the report within the next four weeks. The committee is being headed by Commissioner Secretary, Forest and its members have been drawn from the different government departments.
An order issued by General Administration Department (GAD) has said the committee should identify the persons who have made fraudulent appointments in the Department of Technical Education. The order was issued on May 11, 2019.
“Sanction is hereby accorded to the constitution of Fact Finding Committee, comprising the following to look into the fraudulent appointments in the Technical Education Department and Autonomous Bodies/Corporations/Organizations under the Administrative Control of the Department from 2010-2018,” reads the government order number 578-GAD of 2019 dated 11-05-2019.
According to the order, Commissioner Secretary, Forest, Environment & Ecology would be the Chairman of the Committee. The order further reads that Secretary, Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction and Secretary, Technical Education Department would be the members of the Fact Finding Committee.
In the order it has been written that the Fact Finding Committee shall identify those responsible for fraudulent appointments, if any, and submit the report by June 14, 2019. The order issued by Deputy Secretary, Government of Jammu & Kashmir and it has been copied to Principal Secretary, Governor, Commissioner Secretary, Forest, Environment & Ecology and Secretary, Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction.
It would be in place to mention here that Department of Technical Education has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Many illegal appointments have taken place in the department over the past few years and at the same time some of the non-deserving officials have been promoted to positions not meant for them.
Many news stories had been carried out in the past about the illegal appointments and bungling at the Department of Technical Education. While the Vigilance Organization took note of many illegal appointments at the department some of the other illegal appointments were asked to be probed by Crime Branch Kashmir.
It would be in place to mention here that some of the whistleblowers of the department who exposed the wrongdoings were transferred to far off places in the Kashmir valley. It was only after the intervention of some of the top officers that these officials were shifted to their original places of posting.