Kulgam administration paying ‘Hafta’ to Akashwani reporter from public exchequer

Municipal casual labour gets ‘Best Journalist’ award from Minister on I-Day

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 19: Believe it or not, the fact remains that officials of the state government in Kulgam district have been paying ‘hafta’ of Rs 3300 every month to All India Radio’s Part Time Correspondent (PTC) from the accounts of Municipal Committee Yaripora. Same ‘Correspondent’, who has been working as Casual Labour since September 2009, received the ‘Best Journalist’ award from a Cabinet Minister of Omar Abdullah government on occasion of Independence Day on August 15^th.

During the course of an investigation Early Times discovered that one Khursheed Ahmad Padroo S/o late Ghulam Hassan Padroo R/o Bijbehara, Anantnag, has been appointed by Director General News of AIR as PTC for Kulgam district in the year 2007. As per his terms of engagement and job profile, Padroo has been regularly filing news reports for Akashwani as well Doordrashan news bulletins. His appointment was, in fact, in gross violation of the ‘Guidelines for Engagement of PTC’ which do not permit engagement of a PTC for one district while his living in other district.

In order to escape negative reporting on AIR and DD, J&K Government officials in Kulgam district decided to pay this PTC a sum of over Rs 2,000 every month. They, however, did not put the burden on their own pockets. Then Executive Officer Mohammad Khaleel engaged Padroo as a Casual Labour in Municipal Committee Yaripora with effect from 17-09-2009. One of his relative’s residence at Frisal, Kulgam, was deceitfully shown as Padroo’s residence.

For some months, Municipal Committee Yaripora paid monthly “wages” of Rs 2100 to Padroo. It was subsequently enhanced to Rs 3,300 a month. According to head of news at Radio Kashmir Srinagar (AIR Srinagar) and Doordarshan Kendra Srinagar, Bashir Malik, Padroo has been getting Rs 4500 plus some other benefits every month from Radio Kashmir Srinagar on account of his reporting for the national broadcaster in Kulgam district. According to officials in Kulgam, Padroo has been getting Rs 3,300 every month on account of working as Casual Labour in Municipal Committee Yaripora.

To reciprocate the goodwill, Padroo not only shut his own eyes to 40 backdoor appointments in Municipal Committee Yaripora but also persuaded other South Kashmir-based mediapersons not to report a word against the omissions and commissions of the state government officials. That is the total reversal of mandate All India Radio and Doordarshan have set for the PTCs.

Incredibly, Deputy Commissioner Farooq Ahmad Khan produced Padroo as his district’s “Best Journalist” to the chief guest and Minister of Social Welfare, Sakeena Itoo, on August 15^th at Kulgam. She honoured Padroo with the I-Day award much like the Minister of Irrigation and PHE, Taj Mohiuddin, had decorated Cultural Assistant of J&K Academy of Art, Culture & Languages, Zahoor Sultan War, at Kupwara on the Republic Day of January 26^th. Unfazed by the exposure in media, Sultan has been continuously reporting for ‘Sheherbeen’ programme of Radio Kashmir Srinagar while continuously taking his monthly salary as a regular government employee from the Academy.

Asked how he had misled a Cabinet Minister about the credentials of a Casual Labour and projected him as the ‘Best Journalist’ for receiving a government award, DC Kulgam, Farooq Ahmad Khan said: “It’s a news to me that Padoo is also working as Casual Labourer in Municipal Committee Yaripora. We know him as a journalist. Now that you have brought it to my notice, I will soon obtain a statement of facts from the committee and, accordingly, initiate necessary action under rules in the matter”.

DC Kulgam revealed further that Secretaries and Executive Officers of Municipal Committee Yaripora had appointed/engaged as many as 30 to 40 persons on different posts, including non-existing posts. He asserted that there was no requirement of appointing 30 to 40 people in the municipal body. Prima facie, he said, all these appointments/ engagements were “illegal, through backdoor, unjustified and unwarranted”. He revealed that on public complaints, coupled by his directions, Additional DDC and Assistant Commissioner Revenue (ACR) were currently holding an in-depth investigation into these backdoor appointments. “We will initiate necessary action under rules after receiving the committee report”, DC Farooq Ahmad said.

Head of Regional News Units at AIR Srinagar and DDK Srinagar, Bashir Malik, said: “If it is true that our PTC has been simultaneously working as Casual Labour and getting another monthly salary from the state public exchequer, it is the matter of a serious cheating and misconduct. I’ll soon write to DC Kulgam and seek a factual report from him before initiating necessary action at the level of Directorate General of News”.

Minister of Social Welfare, Sakeena Itoo, told Early Times that she had no knowledge of Padroo being a Casual Labour in Municipal Committee Yaripora. She too asserted that she would seek an explanation from DC Kulgam. “We’ll take necessary action for impersonation as well as for misleading a Minister against the officials responsible”, she said.

END