Jammu,
At a time when entire country has stood up against the corrupt and the corruption and the government looking meekly at the unprecedented uprise of the citizenry, the corrupt continue to stay immune in Jammu and Kashmir, the second most corrupt state in the country.
With most statutory bodies constituted to root out corruption lying defunct for years, state vigilance organization has by far been the only institution which people look up to for bringing the corrupt to book, but figures suggest that SVO has failed to do the needful as many a cases involving government officials have been biting dust for years now.
The State Vigilance Organization had registered 189 cases against the top ranked government officers of the sate government during the period of 01-01-2008 to 03-03-2011 but failed to get any of them sentenced for reasons best known to them..
Out of total 189 cases registered in SVO in these three years, 73 cases are still being investigated and most of the cases were tagged as sub-judice as per the official information.
It is ironical that Jammu and Kashmir has maintained its position on top of the ‘Most Corrupt’ list even as the last three chief ministers, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Ghulam Nabi azad and Omar Abdullah have been issuing war cries against corruption.
Recently, Chief Secretary Madhav Lal directed all HoDs of the government departments to prepare a dozzier of the tainted officers. "I have directed Chief Secretary to prepare list of corrupt officials so that suitable action is initiated against them. I don’t know whether the former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had prepared any such list, but, if it is there, it does not hold any relevance in view of retirement of many officials," Omar told media persons during a press interaction.
In-spite of the involvements of the top ranked officers in misappropriations of funds, timber contracts, illegal appointments, manipulation of records and fraudulent withdrawal of loans on account of fraudulent papers in Cooperative Societies, not a single top ranked officer has not been sent behind the bars on corruption charges. Startlingly, many tainted officers have soared to enviable heights in their careers with political patronage.
It is important that in 2008, 18 cases in Jammu, in 2009, 25 cases and 30 cases in year 2010 besides 4 cases has been registered in State Vigilance Organization Jammu in 2011. Whereas 34 FIR were lodged under Vigilance Organisation Kashmir in 2008, 36 cases in 2009 and 40 cases in 2010 besides 2 in 2011.
President Anti Corruption Manch, Baldev Singh Wazir while talking to Kashmir Images said that ‘corrupt is corrupt’ and should be dealt according to law of land and forgetting old ones indicted or tainted over preparing new list is assault on democracy and not acceptable to the masses of state. "Preparing new dozziers seems to be an attempt by the government to oblige its corrupt blue eyed" said Wazir questioning new dozziers without taking action on those named previously.
Senior JKNPP leader and former Education Minister, Harsh Dev Singh while commenting upon the subject said that government will keep preparing lists and not take any action as it would not suit them. "Government should exhibit seriousness towards curbing the menace and not only make announcements to befool masses" said Singh.
www.kashmirimagesjammu.com
Leave Your Comments