STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) Chairman and former Minister, Harsh Dev Singh on Tuesday hailed the Governor for prompt action in assuming the executive as well as legislative functions of the state immediately after imposition of Governor’s rule so as to restore the normal functioning of govt. business in the State.
Hailing the delegation of ministers’ powers to administrative secretaries, he said that this would ensure quick disposal of pending business and rock the administrative machinery out of its prolonged slumber.
He appreciated that governor had realized the damage caused to the system particularly in the developmental sector due to the administrative inertia resulting from non formation of the govt. in the state.
He said that functioning of all government departments having remained paralyzed for the last three months, there was acute urgency of expeditious disposal of all pending govt. business.
He said that hundreds and thousands of developmental works had been stalled as neither the District Development Board meetings had been held during 2014-15 nor the administrative approval had been accorded to thousands of schemes during the said financial year.
He said that the holding of Parliamentary elections during 2014-15 and subsequent imposition of code of conduct for Assembly Elections had held up several developmental projects which were required to be given immediate attention with early initiation of work.
Harsh said that in view of the current financial year coming to a close, the transfers at all levels should be banned and administrative secretaries should give top priority to accord of administrative approval for developmental schemes envisaged under various plans for current financial year. He said that any dislocation of officers at this stage caused due to transfers would adversely affect the pace of developmental works and make it difficult to ensure the completion of planned works during the current year.
He said that the Chief Secretary and concerned secretaries in consonance with the powers delegated to them by the Governor should ensure immediate funds authorization under centrally sponsored schemes, mega flagship schemes, SC/ST funds, SCA to SCP, SCA to TSP, TFC grants, BADP funds, plan schemes so that the funds don’t get lapsed in view of very short period left for the completion of the current financial year. He further called upon the Chief Secretary to ensure the early payment of salaries to the teachers appointed under SSA and RMSA who were without salaries for the last more than seven months.
Likewise, he said that the PDD, PHE and other workers engaged in Tourism and PWD were without wages for the last 6-7 months and their issues were required to be settled immediately.
Singh said that the practice of release of additionalties at the fag-end of the financial year was often abused and repeatedly agitated in the Assembly every year and urged upon the governor to stop the practice or to retain such powers with himself only. He further appealed to the Governor to keep a strict vigil over the re-appropriation of funds from one scheme to another and over releases of funds as well as expenditure incurred under SRE, CRF, ‘Maintenance’ and ‘wages’ in view of large scale complaints of leakages and irregularities reported in the same every year.
Calling for a complete ban on transfers till the completion of the current financial year, Harsh further appealed to the Governor to ban the deputation of officers outside the state till the formation of the popular govt.