Furnish property statements of employees in a month: Guv to admin secretaries

Srinagar, Oct 10: The Governor Satya Paul Malik has directed all the administrative secretaries to strictly order all the officers/officials to furnish property statements in a month.
Sources said that the direction comes after it was observed that despite government directions most of the employees are not submitting the requisite annual property statements to competent authorities.
“Raj Bhawan has received the information that there is a huge default in the submission of the property statements by the employees of various departments who are bound under the government ruling to submit property statements,” sources maintained.
Sources said that even several top officers have failed to submit property statements. “Irony is that many of these officers are themselves heads of departments either administrative secretaries or Directors of various Government departments,” sources maintained.
Recently the government in its circular has directed all the controlling/drawing and disbursing officers to direct all the officers/officials to furnish the statements.“ it has been noticed with concern that officers/officials are not submitting the requisite annual property return statements to the competent authorities resulting in to no compliance of standing government instructions issued from time to time in this regard.”
“It is Clearfield here that as per the Sub section 2 of section 9 of the Jammu and Kashmir Public men and public servant declaration of assets and other provisions Act, 1983 and clause (III) Rule 2 of the J&K public servants declaration of assets and other provisions Rule, 1998 read with SRO 415 of 2003 dated 11.12.2013 in which it has been clearly indicated that every public servant has to submit Annual property return statements of the assets held by him and his family members in the month of January every year and shall indicate the reason for increasing, if any, in the assets and source thereof,” the circular reads.
Sources here in the Rajbawan told KNS that the Governor has told the chief secretary to issue circular to all the controlling /drawing and disbursing officers to direct all the officers/officials working under the respective control/jurisdiction to furnish the requisite Annual property return statement to the respective competent authorities within a one month.
Sources said that the Governor has maintained that any lapse report in this regard shall be viewed seriously.
Meanwhile official sources said that property statements of various employees in government departments, if submitted, are not being put under examination and even more no check and balance have been maintained by the government.
One of the top employees of the government on condition of anonymity said that since the previous government was not much bothered to put the property statements to examination, the tainted employees take advantage of filling of the property statement as per their choice.
Sources believe that officers have also kept their assets secret by not divulging their property details to the government.
If the sources are to be believed then majority of the civil servants have kept their property in ‘Benami’ name or in their blood relations to avoid test of scrutinizing.
Meanwhile sources informed KNS that during the last few months the Raj Bawan have got several complaints of alleged corruption and other wrongdoings against the tainted officials.
“People have more faith in Governor’s rule than an elected government. Let us see what action the Governor takes on such complaints. Otherwise, we have seen these accountability exercises in the past as well but no action has ever been taken,” said one of the social activists.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Kashmir Monitor staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)