With Jammu and Kashmir government having dismissed 63 officials on the charges of alleged corruption last month, another list of tainted officials is likely to be submitted to the Chief Minister’s Secretariat next week for final nod, KNS has learnt.
Sources in the government told KNS that the high-level panel headed by the Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khanday which was constituted by the government to examine the corruption cases against the tainted officers will meet after Eid-ul-Fitr and examine the cases individually. “The high-level panel will meet on the beginning of next week and examine the cases individually,” they said and added that it will be later forwarded to the Chief Minister for his nod.
Sources said that around 50 tainted officials including senior civil officers are under the government’s scanner.
The other members of committee are Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Principal Secretary, Home, Commissioner Secretary, General Administration Department, and the Secretary, Law.
It is pertinent to mention here that soon after the Mufti-led government took over in March, the government shot a letter to State Vigilance Organization, to prepare a comprehensive list of officers who were involved in ‘corrupt practices’ or have been rendered as ‘dead wood’ to summarily dismiss them from services or suggest other kind of action, whose offence in corruption was minor.
The SVO was asked to prepare a list of corrupt officials to bring transparency in governance.
The SVO submitted a list of 162 tainted officials to the government.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelOn July 1, the government terminated the services of 63 officials of whom 25 were allegedly caught red-handed by the SVO while accepting bribe.
Those terminated included five Kashmir Administrative Officers, two Chief Engineers, three doctors, officials from the School Education, Revenue, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Finance, Public Health Engineering, Home, Power, Roads and Buildings, Forest, Rural Development, Housing and Urban Development, Transport, Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation and Labour and Employment departments.
If sources are to be believed, the government is also working over the list of corrupt police officers who have amassed huge wealth by abusing their positions. “There has been a feedback against number of police officers from different ranks who are involved in corrupt practices and are not performing their duties honestly,” sources said.
They said that the high-level committee for dispensing services mainly includes those officers and officials, who were caught red-handed while accepting and demanding bribe and found guilty of abuse of power during joint verifications conducted by SVO.
Transport minister Abdul Gani Kohli told KNS that the government has already made it clear that it would not tolerate the officers and officials, whose integrity is doubtful.
“We will not tolerate the officials whose integrity is doubtful but at the same time government has also taken a decision that that officers having good integrity will be given important assignment involving public dealing,” he said. (KNS)