Omar holding Cabinet meeting near LoC on Oct 27

Pre-Darbar Move reshuffle likely in Police, Forest, civil administration

Early Times Report

SRINAGAR, Oct 25: Exactly on the anniversary of the Indian Army’s arrival in Srinagar, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is holding Jammu & Kashmir government’s first ever Cabinet meeting outside the capital city. According to highly placed authoritative sources, all the Cabinet Ministers would be flown in two helicopters to the border township of Tangdar, in Karnah sector, on October 27^th where a full-length Cabinet meeting would be held at a place close to LoC.

Sources told Early Times that agenda was being set for the Cabinet meeting, being held first time since 1947 outside the capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu. In 1987, then head of the NC-Congress coalition government, Dr Farooq Abdullah, had organized some Cabinet meetings at picturesque spots like Hakakhal, Khansahab, in Budgam district. However, agenda of those meetings was restricted to the development of particular districts. Bureaucracy has been describing such events as District Development Board meetings attended by Chief Minister and his Ministerial colleagues.

As regards the Cabinet meeting scheduled for Oct 27^th, sources said that the state Cabinet was likely to take certain routine administrative decisions besides considering a major reshuffle in Police and civil administration. According to these sources, Cabinet was likely to appoint senior IFS officer, R D Tiwari, as the new Principal Chief Conservator of Forests against the vacancy that has been created in the incumbent PCCF Jagdish Keshwan’s departure for a central deputation on October 20^th. As a temporary arrangement, PCCF’s charge has been handed over to Mr Tiwari, who stands posted as Director J&K State Forest Research Institute.

Cabinet is also likely to confirm decisions of two high level screening committees that have cleared four senior IFS officers for the grade of PCCF besides recommending a number of CCFs as Additional CCF and CFs as CCFs. Sources said that some changes were likely at Conservator and DFO levels in the wake of proposed grade promotions and Mr Tiwari’s formal appointment as PCCF.

In the routine pre-Darbar Move reshuffle, Cabinet is expected to order changes at district level in Police as well as civil administration, particularly in the districts where Deputy Commissioners have put in over two years of tenure and the Superintendents of Police have shown poor performance in restoring order in the last over four months of the turbulence. Sources said that incidents of continued stone pelting at around a dozen of spots in periphery of the capital Srinagar city, Srinagar-Humhama-Budgam Road, Srinagar-Chadoura Road, Tengpora and Boat Colony on National Highway Bypass, besides Pampore and Palhalan on the highway were being viewed with remarkable concern by the government.

Cabinet is expected to consider and order reinstatement and posting of five officers of the rank of SSP/SP who have remained suspected/attached on account of varied developments in the last over one year. Then SSP Baramulla, Sheikh Mehmood, had been attached to the Home Department when he was taken ill and admitted to a private hospital in Srinagar on the day of a major law and order problem at Baramulla in August. He was replaced by Mansoor Ontoo. SSP Samba Ranghubir Singh had been removed and attached after Police was found involved in transportation of bovine animals earlier this year.

SSP Security Kashmir, Rafeeq-ul-Hassan, was removed and attached when a suspected Police official, Abdul Ahad Jan, managed his entry through the VVIP entrance and occupied Secretary in Home Department, Tarshi Dioorje’s seat in the VVIP pavilion and finally hurled his shoe on the Chief Guest and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on occasion of the Independence Day ceremonial parade at Bakhshi Memorial Sports Stadium in Srinagar on August 15^th. Thereafter, IG Security, Ram Lubhaya, was attached though he was busy with the President’s tour in Ladakh on that eventful day.

Additional SP of Rajouri, R K Bhat, was placed under suspension on account of his negligence and alleged involvement in fake promotion cases in Police in his district.

Then SP Ramban, Javed Iqbal Matoo, was removed, placed under suspension, attached and arrested on account of his alleged negligence or involvement in what exploded as the “rape-cum-murder” of two young women when he was previously posted as SP Shopian in May 2009. Matoo as also three of his colleagues have been exonerated of all charges by Central Bureau of Investigation after it held an extensive investigation last year. They have all been reinstated by the state government last month and three of them have also been posted. Matoo is said to be among six senior Police officials whose reinstatement and posteing is likely to be considered by the state Cabinet in its next meeting.

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