57 officers transferred in J&K
JAMMU, Dec 20 — As many as 57 IAS and Kas officers and 10 senior police officials of the rank of IGs and DIGs were transferred today. The administrative shakeup was finalised by the Cabinet at a meeting here today which presided over by the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah.

Strike hits work in J & K Govt offices
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 20 — Work in the civil secretariat, government offices, and educational institutions was paralysed today when employees went on a four-day general strike to press for the release of two instalments of DA and wage arrears. The employees of public sector undertakings too went on the strike in protest against the delay in releasing two instalments of the cost of living allowance.

The employees held demonstrations on the civil secretariat premises and threatened to go on an indefinite strike in case their demands were not conceded within a fortnight.

Work in government offices in Srinagar too was affected.

Security arrangements were tightened in and around the civil secretariat where the entry of journalists was also prohibited. Several departmental heads were not allowed to enter the secretariat by security staff.

Employees union leaders had bolted the doors of several rooms in the secretariat with the result that most of the personal staff of ministers remained absent from duty. Some of the visitors were shown in after a coded message was written on their palms by the security staff.

In many offices phone receivers were kept off the hook.

The state government conveyed to the employees that in view of the acute cash crunch, it was not possible for it to concede their demands without additional financial assistance from the Centre. The Chief Minister, who presided over a Cabinet meeting here today flew to Delhi to apprise Central leaders of the situation in the state.

Kickbacks issue: J&K sets up judicial panel
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 20 — The state government has decided to set up a judicial commission to probe into the alleged involvement of a former Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, in the kickbacks controversy which also cost him his ministerial post.

The government has already started a search for a serving or retired judge who would head the commission and the Law Department has been entrusted with the task of submitting a panel of names which could be considered.

The issue pertains to Molvi Ansari having received kickbacks to the tune of over Rs 60 lakh from a private firm, which had been given the contract of building a satellite town near Jammu. It had already been probed by a senior police officer, Mr R.V. Raju, IGP. The Raju committee had, in its report to the government, found that the minister and some of his relations received kickbacks from the firm and a part of the money had been received through cheques.

On the basis of this report the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, had advised Molvi Ansari to resign. The Molvi refused to do so on the plea that it was a conspiracy against him by some bureaucrats in order to malign his name. The Chief Minister, under pressure from party colleagues, when recently reshuffled his council of ministers, dropped Molvi Ansari along with six other ministers.

The Molvi then threatened to expose certain corrupt bureaucrats and some politicians who had conspired to involve him in the kickback controversy. He said that the government did not leak out the entire Raju committee report. He also reasoned that whenever a firm or an individual received kickbacks it was not accepted through cheques. He had said that the company owned by his relations had sought a loan the from in question which was misconstrued as kickback. He also claimed that as minister he had not shown any favour to the firm nor given any concessions.

As the controversy deepened the state government decided to set up a judicial commission so that the entire issue was re-examined.

The state government has not yet decided whether Molvi Ansari’s evasion of sales tax payment, too, would be referred to the judicial commission.

Molvi Ansari has stated that the job of verifying the financial viability of the firm, entrusted with the task of building the Sidhra satellite town, had been entrusted to Jammu and Kashmir Bank. Hence any controversy regarding the financial viability, too, may be referred to the judicial commission.

The decision to set up the commission is treated as a clear indication of parting of ways between Dr Abdullah and Molvi Ansari. The two had been close friends for years and Dr Abdullah earned the displeasure of the Congress high command over his refusal to drop the Molvi, who had won the 1996 Assembly poll on Congress ticket, from the Cabinet two years ago. The Molvi was expelled from the Congress for a period of six years on charge of anti-party activities. Molvi Ansari sacrificed his political career in the Congress for maintaining his friendly relations with Dr Abdullah and now the Chief Minister has ‘hit back with a heavy hand’.

Some critics of the Chief Minister were of the view that the decision to set up a judicial commission was a strategy to save the skin of some senior functionaries of Jammu and Kashmir Bank who, too, had blundered, while verifying financial viability of the firm.

57 officers transferred in J&K
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 20 — As many as 57 IAS and Kas officers and 10 senior police officials of the rank of IGs and DIGs were transferred today. The administrative shakeup was finalised by the Cabinet at a meeting here today which presided over by the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah.

Except for the departments of Power, Finance and Agriculture, all other commissioners were reshuffled. Divisional Commissioner B.S.Jaswal was transferred and appointed Commissioner (Forests) in place of Mr Vijay Bakaya who had been appointed Commissioner Finance (Revenue).

The list was so long that two ministers were seen dozing off during the meeting. "I felt like sleeping when the Chief Secretary was reading out names of the officers, said a Cabinet minister.

Mr Pankaj Jain has been shifted to Delhi and posted as Resident Commissioner. Mr B.R.Kundal, Chairman Subordinate Services Recruitment Board, is now Commissioner, Public Works. Mr A.R. Parrey has been posted as Revenue Commissioner, Mr Naveen Masood as Secretary, General Department, Mr N.R. Gupta, Chairman, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Mr Najam Saquib, Commissioner (Inquiry), Mr Vijay Kotwal Chairman Women's Development Corporation, Mr A.R.Mubariki, Sales Tax Commissioner and Mr N.K.Nargotra as Director Industries.

Mr Chaman Lal, DC Kathua, has been posted as Labour Commissioner,Mr R.K.Goel, Director, Education, is now Director Information. Ms Sushma Chowdhary is new Commissioner, Education, Mr Mushtaq Ganai, Commissioner Information, Mr S.D.Singh Commissioner, Social Welfare, Mr H.L. Kadalbujoo, Chief Resident Commissioner, Bombay.

Dr Ashok Bhan will be IG Kashmir, Mr P.S.Gill, IG (Police Moderni sation) Mr A.K. Suri, Additional Director General Police (Sports), Mr S.S. Ali, ADG, Fire Services and Prison and Mr M.K. Mohanty IG (Transport).

In addition to this, DIG Rajendra has been shifted to Kashmir and has been replaced by Mr Ram Labbaya. Mr Khalid Hussain is new DC Poonch. Kathua, Doda, Udhampur and other districts will have new Deputy Commissioners.