Jammu Municipal Corporation under public scanner over illegal-appointments, other illegalities

Chief Accounts Officer transferred before her tenure for refraining from any engagement of manpower/ backdoor appointments and in order to realize ulterior agendas of nexus and purely because she attempted to prevent a huge loss to government exchequer
Honest CAO punished as she tried to save Govt/Public money, tried to bring right facts in front of all and requested to follow Govt rules and regulations citing lack of budget for new engagements but transferred in gross violation of GAD order wherein specified tenure of an officer is no less than 3 years
LG Sinha and CS Mehta known for their uprightness and honesty should encourage officers like CAO whose credentials and reputation deserve an appreciation and not reward of transfer which boosts the confidence of corrupt people and dips morale of a morally upright officer
GY CORRESPONDENT
jammu, apr 29
Jammu Municipal Corporation has come under the scanner of general public in connection with illegal appointments and other illegalities committed in connivance with the politicians to loot the exchequer but were deliberately ignored by the successive Governments. Official sources have informed that several illegal appointments were made and other illegalities committed in JMC from time to time at the behest of the politicians as if these Urban Local Bodies were their personal fiefdom. However, no action was taken by the successive State Governments as a result of which illegally appointed persons continued to obtain salaries and other benefits thereby putting unnecessary burden on the exchequer. “Even those Government servants who played in the hands of politicians to commit illegalities have remained unpunished till date. Political monopoly of Mayor Jammu Municipal Corporation in connivance with Commissioner and Joint Commissioner Administration JMC to suppress the voice of honest and bold officer (Smt. Shivani Bhan, Chief Accounts Officer) against the nexus of corrupt practices in JMC gets her transferred vide Govt. Order No. 90-F of 2023 dated: 28.04.2023 by using political pressure.After issuance of letters to empanelled NGO’s and Commissioner, JMC by Chief Accounts Officer who is also Financial Advisor and Departmental Vigilance Officer vide No. : MJ/Acctts/6251-72 dated: 25.02.2023 & vide No. JMC/Acctts/ 206-10 dated: 17.04.2023 respectively and open discussion regarding refraining from any engagement of manpower/ backdoor appointments, in Executive Committee Chief Accounts Officer has been transferred before her tenure in order to realize the ulterior agendas of the nexus and purely because she attempted to prevent a huge loss to the government exchequer.
It is the punishment to the honest officer and being harassed just for the reason she tried to save the Govt/Public money. She was got transferred just because she tried to bring the right facts in front of all and requested to follow Govt. rules and regulations. In her communications she requested that the budget for the new engagements is not available and first of all the present staff shall be rationalized which is definitely a good advice as a financial advisor but Mayor, JMC and administration of JMC get offended because of this and misinformed higher authorities of J&K Govt. regarding CAO, JMC and get her transferred as punishment of being an honest officer.
The CAO has been transferred at the behest of misrepresentation of facts by Mayor and Commissioner, JMC to the government which should have been first confirmed and then disposed accordingly but no cognizance of her vital contribution to curb the corrupt practices was taken and instead she has been transferred in gross violation of the GAD order wherein specified tenure of an officer is no less than 3 years . There is not even a single complaint against the present CAO and her work and conduct is completely upright. Honble L.G and Worthy C.S known for their uprightness and honesty should encourage officers like CAO whose credentials and reputation deserve an appreciation and not the reward of transfer which boosts the confidence of corrupt people and dips the morale of a morally upright officer.
High time for authorities to wake up from slumber and act against the culprits who are hell bent upon to sabotage the reputation of JMC by playing with the taxpayer’s money.In certain other grave illegalities committed by JMC, discreet inquiries are going on and appropriate action should be taken soon after the completion of this exercise. Housing and Urban Development Department should made up its mind to take all the cases of illegalities committed by Jammu Municipal Corporation to the logical conclusion. Moreover, LG Administration should keep strict watch on the activities of JMC as the possibility of such illegalities being committed at the behest of newly elected Presidents and Members cannot be ruled out. Sources in the department allege that influential bureaucrats have turned the entire department into a job mafia, which has led to the diversion of the department’s resources to paying salaries of the illegal employees. In fact, the government has been allegedly promoting the illegal employment racket by violating its own norms and liberally diverting additional funds to various municipal bodies that have indulged in illegal appointments. The extent of the government funding of municipal bodies is based on the population of the town, but government has set aside this essential norm and is, instead, releasing funds as per the number of employees, thus encouraging this illegal employment racket.