Incharge Dir Education under pressure to implement 1,000 transfer orders

Promotion, transfer orders had been put in abeyance after Govt learned about transactions of Rs 1.5 Cr during two nights

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jul 9: For two nights before her departure to an overseas destination for training, Director of School Education Kashmir, Shagufta Parveen, conducted the process of promotion and transfer of nearly 1,000 teachers in the middle of last month. As Government learned through a Police intelligence agency that transactions of over Rs 1.50 Cr had taken place behind these transfers, all the orders were put in abeyance. Within a month now, incharge DSE, Kashmir, Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmed is said to be under tremendous pressure to implement all the controversial orders “immediately”.

Last month, General Administration Department (GAD) arranged a mid-career training programme for 1999 batch IAS officers of J&K Cadre. Under this programme, a group of five IAS officers, namely Hridesh Kumar, Sarita Chauhan, Mohammad Ashraf Bukhari, Mohammad Abbas Dar and Shagufta Parveen were scheduled to attend a course at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration Mussoori before their departure for further schedules to Malaysia and Singapore.

Before her departure, Shagufta Parveen literally burnt midnight oil in completing the process and issuing the transfer orders of nearly a thousand teachers in Kashmir division. According to well-placed authoritative sources, all the orders were made and issued for two nights. All the known touts of the officers in the department were at work like in a festival. “It was like a share market. The Sensex remained in movement for both nights. Government, including GAD learned from a Police intelligence agency that transactions worth more than Rs 1.50 Cr took place”, said a well-placed source in Civil Secretariat.

Commissioner-Secretary, Naseema Lankar, too learned from “authentic sources” that money had changed in a big way as a number of Chief Education Officers, who are notoriously part of a known academic mafia, conducted the process at their level. According to these reports, bribes ranging between Rs 5,000 and Rs 50,000 were received and passed on as per the “rating” of different schools, corresponding to residential particulars of incumbents.

Surprisingly, as many as 52 modifications were issued during 48 hours, indicating pulls and pressures from different quarters. Nearly one hundred teachers are estimated to have managed choicest places of posting on account of their relationship with influential bureaucrats, politicians and other pressure groups, including media and judiciary, without paying bribes. Others allegedly managed it against cash payment of bribe money.

Shagufta Parveen, vide Order No 1167 DSEK of 2011 Dated: 16/6/2011 accorded sanction to the promotion of 736 “trained graduate/trained postgraduate teachers as Masters/Head Teachers in the pay scale of Rs 6500-10500 (pre-revised) as approved by the Departmental Promotion Committee in its meeting on 13-04-2011 on the available posts.” 

On the same day, she issued another Order No 1149 DSEK of 201, sanctioning regularization of three in-charge senior assistants as Senior Assistants.  On 17-6-2011 and 18-6-2011, the Director issued three more orders (1180-DSEK of 2011, 1183-DSEK of 2011 and 1201-DSEK of 2011) of the promotion of Masters/Head Teachers and Head Assistants.

Immediately after receiving reports of large scale payment of bribe money, Government got all these orders put in abeyance by Commissioner-Secretary School Education, Mrs Naseema Lankar. Government Order No 372-Edu of 2011 Dated: 21-06-2011 reads: “It is hereby ordered that the posting order of Masters/Head Teacher/Senior Assistants on their promotions issued by the Director, School Education, Kashmir vide Orders No: 1167 DSEK of 2011 and 1149 DSEK of 2011 dated: 16-06-2011 is hereby kept in abeyance till further orders”.

On the same day, more orders were put in abeyance. “In continuation to the Government Order No: 372-Edu of 2011 dated 21-06-2011, it is hereby ordered that the posting of Masters/Head Teachers/Head Assistants on their promotion issued by the Director School Education, Kashmir vide Orders No. 1180 and 1183-DSEK of 2011 dated 17-06-2011 and Order No. 1201-DSEK of 2011 Dated: 18-06-2011 are hereby kept in abeyance,” read another order issued by the Commissioner-Secretary.

According to sources, a section of aggrieved teachers and officials have submitted representations to bureaucratic and apolitical circles, seeking a detailed investigation into their charges of corruption leveled against certain officers who have been behind these controversial transfer orders.

However, before the formal investigation was ordered, Commissioner-Secretary Mrs Lankar proceeded on leave in mysterious circumstances. Charge of School Education Department was temporarily given to Commissioner-Secretary Health and Medical Education, G A Pir. Sources said that Mrs Lankar was relieved of her charge when she refused to get the orders implements by officiating Director School Education Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmed. Sheikh Mushtaq, Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation, has been holding the charge of DSEK in absence of Shagufta Parveen. Sources said that Mr Mushtaq was now under pressure, through Mr Pir, to get the orders implemented before Mrs Lankar returns to her office. She was not reachable for comment.

“Mrs Lankar is on leave as her daughter’s wedding is currently underway. I am holding the charge for a few days only” Mr Pir told Early Times. He confirmed that incharge DSE Kashmir was being directed to implement the transfer orders that had been put in abeyance last month. However, others in Education Department insisted that Mrs Lankar was away “on protest”. They insisted that her daughter’s marriage had taken place over two months ago.

END