Srinagar, Jun 22 (KNS): The members of Jammu & Kashmir Socio Economic Coordination Committee (JKSECC) Saturday said that they are perplexed at the recent “happenings” that have taken place in the Jammu &Kashmir Bank Ltd. (Bank) engineered by its majority share- holder i.e., the State Government.
According to a statement issued to KNS, they said the allegations leveled against the Bank were in the nature of “corruption and misappropriation” allegedly indulged into by some of its top officials in the recruitment policy.
“Initially, the present Government certified that the Bank was the best public institution and was run properly and diligently. This corruption info is being dished out in bits and pieces by the Government. It seems that the officers have been removed before having a proof on hand and later the agencies have been let loose on the Bank to look for proofs against them, whereas it should have been the other way round i.e., proofs first that should have been followed by rolling of heads, if necessary,” the statement said.
It added the assault on the bank, which is the premier institution of Jammu and Kashmir, was done in a manner that has sent negative signals to the business circles of the valley and as such was in a very bad taste.
“It smelled of regional bias that one particular region is nursing against the main region of Jammu and Kashmir.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelIt was a weak attempt to create regional divide though the deposits in the Bank are mainly from this main region and Non Performing Assets (NPAs) from this region are minuscule. The two and a half districts of other region, which also claims the ownership of the Bank should walk the talk and put their funds in the Bank in the manner the main region is doing,” it added.
In this context, the members said it would be advisable to share with the people the deposits and advances made by and in each region in the Bank. A white paper in this direction would be in order, the statement further reads.
While JKSECC does not wish to challenge the authority of the majority share holder of having the top most officer of its choice but care should have been taken so that the bogey of regional discrimination would not have surfaced, it said, adding that . “We hope that regionalism or any other agenda was not at play in this behalf. The JKSECC protests the assault, in the form of a sort of crackdown, made on the Institution should have been avoided and was certainly avoidable.”
We also wish to put on record that transparency and accountability in such institutions was essential and key to its success, the statement added. (KNS)