#дбђ¡ Govt sleeps over removing deadwood from administration Fate Of Crucial Panel Unknown; Chief Secretary Says It’s Long-Drawn Process ABID BASHIR Srinagar, July 6: A special drive launched in 2011 to remove deadwood from State administration has fallen flat as government has seemingly slept over the issue. A panel was constituted in May 2011 to recommend the names of non-performing and corrupt officers in May 2011. The panel was headed by then Chief Secretary, Madhav Lal, with then Principal Secretary, Home, B R Sharma, and then Commissioner Secretary General Administration Department, M S Khan, as its members. The committee had directed the administrative secretaries of various departments to prepare a list of non-performing and corrupt officers. On February 23, 2012, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah ordered dismissal of 13 officials on the recommendations of the committee. But not much headway has been achieved on the issue since then. Chief Secretary Muhammad Iqbal Khanday said that removing deadwood was a long process. “Yes, committee was formed in this regard. It involves lot of things,” he said. At present, even the fate of the crucial panel is unknown. A senior officer in the Law department said he had no information whether the committee was re-constituted after the former Chief Secretary Madhav Lal completedhis term. Secretary GAD Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmed also said that he had no information about the committee. “I have to see the records in the office first,” he said. A senior officer in the administration, wishing not to be named, said administrative reforms can take place only when there is political will. “It will have to bedone by a person at the top. Reforms can’t take place by formation of committees only,”he said. The first drive against removing deadwood was initiated by former Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayed in 2004 by ordering premature retirement of 20 officials belonging to various departments. Chief Secretary Muhammad Iqbal Khanday informed Greater Kashmir that at present thefocus of the government was on doing awaywith the additional charge of officers. “We have done away with additional charges of many officers. We have started from the bottom and there are very few officers who have more than one charge,” he said. Sources in the administration said the process of doing away with the additional charge would end up with top officers who have more than one charge. “There are still some officers at the top who are having more than one charge. Since the process is on, they too will be relieved as some officers are expected to join back as their Central deputation has ended,” said a source privy to the development.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Jul 2013 12:08:50 +0000
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