CM’s own Ganderbal tops in absenteeism in Kashmir

Only SPs among 70 district officers maintain station at Ganderbal, Budgam

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, May 17: Central Kashmir rural districts of Ganderbal and Budgam have earned the dubious distinction of topping all 10 districts in the Valley in absenteeism as the district officers of almost all the departments return to their respective residences in other districts after putting in few hours of work. Even as two-odd Superintendents of Police (SPs) stay at their stations in Ganderbal and Budgam, all 68 others---including Deputy Commissioners DCs)---have been religiously returning to Srinagar to put up the night with their respective families.

Contrary to the coalition government’s claims of good governance and sense of accountability in the public servants, not more than 10 percent of district officers of different departments maintain station in Kashmir valley. Lack of accountability among the government employees could be gauged by the fact that even the civil administration’s key organs---DC and Tehsildar (Territorial)---are never available at the two Central Kashmir district headquarters after 5.00 p.m, except during elections and for a couple of days around the District Development Board meetings.

Even after the working hours, all government officials are bound by service rules to stay within a short distance from their offices and are not authorized to leave station without the permission of competent authority. Those who are not in possession of their own houses and official accommodation in the territory are supposed to put up at hired houses. It has been observed that all the district officers, whether staying at official accommodation or returning to their respective homes, have been taking House Rent Allowance (HRA) and other perks from the state exchequer every month.

In Power Development Department, only the field staff on duty by night are entitled to extra payment of two-and-a-half days’ salary. It has been observed that the field staff on or off duty, including clerks and executive engineers, who are the first to return to their residences after working at offices, have been drawing this special perk with active connivance of their Drawing & Disbursing Officers (DDOs). With the senior officials’ eyes conveniently shut, those taking this special benefit “on account of providing essential service to the consumers for 24 hours in 7 days”, include separatist leaders who never attend their official duties. They have been getting their salaries, including all special perks, deposited in their bank accounts every month, even for the period they spend in detention under Public Safety Act (PSA).

In a Valley-wide survey, Early Times noticed that not more than 100 out of 400-0dd district officers in the 10 districts stay at their headquarters for the night. Most of them stay by default as their private residential houses happen to be in close vicinity of their offices. An official who has been continuously living in close vicinity of his office at Baramulla, called it “Government, not available for 18 hours”. “There’s absolutely no accountability (among the government employees)”, he said and specified that, in addition to stone pelting and shutdown, there were many other reasons behind the absenteeism. According to him, not more than 60 to 70% of the employees attend their duties.

The survey observed that among 70-odd District Officers, only the two SPs have been staying for the night at Ganderbal and Budgam. While DC of Ganderbal has been shuttling between his office and private house at Rawalpora in Srinagar, DC of Budgam has been returning to his Sonwar residence in Srinagar every evening. Even the Additional DCs, Assistant Commissioners of Revenue and Tehsildars (Territorial) were never found at station when Early Times enquired about them as many as 10 times in the last four weeks. It surfaced that even Tehsildar of Kangan, in Ganderbal district, has been living somewhere in Srinagar.

Residents of Beehama at Ganderbal revealed that they call on the SP whenever there is a problem like power breakdown, water supply disruption or a critical delivery case. “None of the Executive Engineers, AEs and JEs is available here beyond office hours. Sometimes they set up secret offices to make fudged claims at their houses in Srinagar. Doctors or technicians are never on night duty. Just one male or female doctor stays here. They simply do the formality of referring the patients to different hospitals in Srinagar”, Ghulam Hassan Dar, a retired government official, complained at Dadarhama in Ganderbal.

At Budgam, shopkeeper Ghulam Mohammad Bhat claimed that neither the Medical Superintendent nor the surgeons and technicians are ever available at Aga Syed Yousuf Memorial District Hospital after 5.00 p.m. “There’s always a lady doctor who refers all the gynecology cases to Lal Ded Hospital of Srinagar as she doesn’t have the facilities at her command”, he said. According to him, no facility of X-Ray, USG, anesthesia was available at the district hospital from 4.00 pm to 10.00 a.m next day.

Minister of Health, Sham Lal Sharma, and officials in General Administration Department (GAD) did not respond to phone calls when attempts were made to get their comments.

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