Srinagar, Aug 12 (KNS): Jammu and Kashmir Transport Minister Satish Sharma has written to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah seeking the immediate removal of Transport Commissioner Vishesh Paul Mahajan, accusing the senior bureaucrat of "continued defiance" and "disrespect" towards the ministry's authority.
In his letter dated August 6, a copy of which is with News Agency Kashmir News Service (KNS), Satish Sharma alleged that Mahajan, a JKAS officer, had been openly flouting written and verbal directives, bypassing the ministry, and adopting a discourteous approach in communications with the minister.
"I regret that I am compelled to raise this matter formally, having exhausted other means of resolving it," Sharma said in the letter, adding that the officer's conduct had "seriously compromised" the orderly administration of the Transport Department.
The minister noted that he had initially attempted to address the issue through informal and internal channels, but there was "no improvement" in the commissioner's conduct.
Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
NC minsiter Satish Sharma further emphasised that under the existing governance framework, the Transport Commissioner functions as the principal executive officer under the policy direction and overall supervision of the minister-in-charge, who remains answerable to the legislature and the public.
"Persistent insubordination by a senior officer not only undermines the authority and dignity of the elected office but also disrupts the chain of administrative accountability, adversely affects the morale of the department, and ultimately impedes the delivery of public services to the citizens," the letter read.
The minister has requested that Mahajan be "immediately moved out" of the post and replaced with a suitable officer of appropriate seniority to restore normal functioning without further disruption. (KNS)