63 ‘tainted’ govt officials axed

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 1

The Jammu and Kashmir Government has terminated the services of 63 officials, including some senior officers, for “bad performance or integrity problem”.

Out of 63 officials, 25 are involved in trap cases registered by the vigilance authorities, 11 allegedly possess assets disproportionate to their known sources of income while the remaining 27 are involved in various other cases. This was stated here today by Education Minister Naeem Akhtar, who is also a spokesman of the government.

“We have suffered a lot on account of corruption, accountability and transparency,” Naeem said while addressing a press conference. The State Accountability Commission was being revived to fight the menace. The commission would haved “effective” judges to ensure a transparent system in the administration.

The decision to dispense with the services of 63 officers was taken by a five-member committee headed by Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khanday, he said. Other members of the committee included Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister; Principal Secretary Home; Commissioner Secretary, General Administration Department (GAD); and the Secretary, Law.

The government’s decision was in accordance with the J&K Civil Services Rules (JKCSR) to assess the performance after the officials completed 48 years of age or 22 years of service. This, he said, would be a permanent feature in the administration and the services of those whose performance was not up to the mark or those who had integrity issues would be dispensed with.

MLA Langate Er Rashid has welcomed the government decision to terminate services of tainted officials. In a statement, the MLA asked the ruling PDP to clear its stand on “accused politicians”, including those in the PDP.