Srinagar: The government has decided to hunt the deadwood in the administration and show non-performing officials the exit door.
However the government has said that the dedicated employees would be rewarded for their hard work and honesty.
Highly placed sources told news agency KINS that the government in a phased manner may axe the officials against whom cases of non-performance and corruption were registered in the past.
The government is mulling to issue a list of such officials who will be retired forcefully,” sources claimed.
Sources said that the departments have been asked to compile a register of the government servants who are habitual of corruption and the cases of corruption are already registered against them.
Sources said that the government has made it clear that they are not aganist employees but wants transperancy in the system.
Government sources also mantained that the dedicated employees would be rewarded for their hard work and honesty.
In the past also, the government claimed to have been serious about removing the deadwood from the administration. However, instead of removing the non-performing officials, they end up re-employing them with more doles and sops.
Sources however said that this time there are chances that the government led by Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha may go up for massive cleanup of the administration with a sole objective to provide good governance to the people at large.
The move is amid LG Manoj Sinha’s promise over the fixing accountability of government officers.
Highly placed sources told news agency KINS that the details of officials with dubious integrity is likely to be taken up and the government will examine vigilance reports, data available about the officers in the departments for the legal action.
“A strong directive will be issued to all the departments to carry out a review of deadwood and corrupt officers,” sources maintained.
LG Manoj Sinha recently in a message had said that “emphasis must be on putting in place effective preventive measures and spreading awareness to eradicate corruption.
Meanwhile one of the top officials in the Anti-Corruption wing Kashmir told KINS that they have clear instructions from the higher-ups to ensure that investigation into all the corruption cases as well as other pending FIRs is completed as expeditiously as possible so as to pave the way for presentation of challans in the Anti-Corruption Courts and securing maximum conviction,”
Sources said in the coming months the focus of the investigating agencies will also shift on the officials, who have amassed huge wealth through illegal means.
“Even the former officers involved in corrupt practices will not be spared and they will be thoroughly investigated,” sources revealed.
Sources reveal that around 150 FIRs have been registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) since July, 2019 against officials, which include, some chief engineers, superintendent and executive engineers, and senior officers of forest, health, rural development and other departments.
Sources said that fresh cases were registered against those officers, who were of the opinion that they will never be touched after committing huge frauds due to their close proximity with the then ruling class of the erstwhile state.
It is to be mentioned here that the Centre’s Prevention of Corruption Act in Jammu and Kashmir has stringent provisions to combat corruption.
Anti-graft bodies were working under Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Corruption Act, 2006, which has been replaced by Centre’s Prevention of Corruption Act.
There are certain provisions under this newly implemented Act which empowers anti-graft bodies to fight with corruption in the new Union Territory.
“In order to influence a public servant, by corrupt or illegal means, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall be not less than three year but may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to fine”.
Under this Act, abetment by a public servant of offences shall be punishable with imprisonment not less than six months but which may extend to five years and shall also be liable to fine.
“Any public servant, who commits criminal misconduct, shall be punishable with imprisonment not less than one year but which may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to fine,” the Act reads.(KINS)