j&k: J&K administration okays premature retirement of eight employees over corruption charges | India News – Rashtra News : Rashtra News
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NEW DELHI: After sacking over two dozen Jammu and Kashmir government staffers under Article 311(2) of the Constitution of India for alleged terror links, the J&K administration has now okayed premature retirement of eight of its employees, including four J&K Administrative Service (JKAS) officers, under Article 226(2) of Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services Regulations, over alleged corruption.
The charges against the said officers, confirmed by the departmental committees and upheld by the designated review committee under Article 226(2), include misappropriation of funds, falsification of records and faking of bills, financial irregularities and amassing of assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. Most of these officers have faced probes by Anti-corruption Bureau and some were also suspended.
Article 226(2) of the J&K Civil Services Regulations, 1956, allows the government employees to be retired “in public interest” upon completing 22 years of qualifying service or attaining 48 years of age. The article is essentially meant to help in removal of deadwood from the government. The employees are retired with a three months’ notice or three months of pay. However, they retain pensionary benefits.
The eight government employees who face premature retirement include JKAS officers Ravinder Kumar Bhat, mission director, RUSA; Mohammad Qasim Wani, regional director, survey and land records, Srinagar; Noor Alam, deputy secretary in ARI and training department; and Mohd Mujib-ur-Rehman Ghassi (under suspension). The remaining four J&K staffers recommended for premature retirement by the designated review committee under Article 226(2) of the J&K Civil Services Rules are Fayaz Ahmad Banday, earlier BMO, Beerwah, but presently under suspension; Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din, junior assistant, posted as storekeeper as well as in the office of TSO Chasana; Rakesh Kumar Pargal, junior assistant, who was posted at food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department, Udhampur; and Parshotam Kumar, storekeeper who was posted at Pancheri. The case of a ninth employee, Pranab Gandotra, in-charge of TSO and posted at Kalakote, was also reviewed by the committee but he was not found eligible for action as he had neither completed 22 years of service nor turned 48.
Among the JKAS officers cleared for premature retirement on recommendations of internal committees of general administration department and health and medical education department dated September 6 and 23 respectively, Ravinder Kumar Bhat has allegedly been found indulged in corrupt practices during his postings in different departments, for which FIRs were also filed by the ACB. As assistant commissioner, Budgam, he benefited illegal occupants of the state land as part of Roshni scam by arbitrarily fixing prices lower than market rate. Mohammad Qasim Wani, regional director with Survey and Land Records, is an accused in an ACB case relating to purchase of substandard material at exorbitant rates for ICDS projects. Noor Alam amassed assets disproportionate to his income by indulging in corruption. Mujib-ur-Rehman Ghassi, in his capacity as registrar, cooperative societies, J&K, faced an FIR by the ACB for alleged illegal facilitation and sanctioning of loan worth crores of rupees to a non-existent society by J&K State Cooperative Bank. Fayaz Ahmad Banday, also under suspension, had allegedly, as BMO, Beerwah, got fake bills processed and disbursed as salary, GPS and arrears in the name of staff members, some of whom were non-existent.
The other four employees being ousted for alleged corruption are Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din, found to have misappropriated huge amounts of funds with respect to disbursement of payments to ration dealers. He was prematurely retired from service but reinstated for lack of prosecution sanction. However, the prosecution sanction came subsequently. Rakesh Kumar Pargal was also charged with preparing fake records and making false receipts of dispatched food grain. Parshottam Kumar, had, as storekeeper in Panchery, drawn an excess amount of Rs 36 crore on account of loading/unloading charges by falsification of records and misappropriated the said amount.
The charges against the said officers, confirmed by the departmental committees and upheld by the designated review committee under Article 226(2), include misappropriation of funds, falsification of records and faking of bills, financial irregularities and amassing of assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. Most of these officers have faced probes by Anti-corruption Bureau and some were also suspended.
Article 226(2) of the J&K Civil Services Regulations, 1956, allows the government employees to be retired “in public interest” upon completing 22 years of qualifying service or attaining 48 years of age. The article is essentially meant to help in removal of deadwood from the government. The employees are retired with a three months’ notice or three months of pay. However, they retain pensionary benefits.
The eight government employees who face premature retirement include JKAS officers Ravinder Kumar Bhat, mission director, RUSA; Mohammad Qasim Wani, regional director, survey and land records, Srinagar; Noor Alam, deputy secretary in ARI and training department; and Mohd Mujib-ur-Rehman Ghassi (under suspension). The remaining four J&K staffers recommended for premature retirement by the designated review committee under Article 226(2) of the J&K Civil Services Rules are Fayaz Ahmad Banday, earlier BMO, Beerwah, but presently under suspension; Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din, junior assistant, posted as storekeeper as well as in the office of TSO Chasana; Rakesh Kumar Pargal, junior assistant, who was posted at food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department, Udhampur; and Parshotam Kumar, storekeeper who was posted at Pancheri. The case of a ninth employee, Pranab Gandotra, in-charge of TSO and posted at Kalakote, was also reviewed by the committee but he was not found eligible for action as he had neither completed 22 years of service nor turned 48.
Among the JKAS officers cleared for premature retirement on recommendations of internal committees of general administration department and health and medical education department dated September 6 and 23 respectively, Ravinder Kumar Bhat has allegedly been found indulged in corrupt practices during his postings in different departments, for which FIRs were also filed by the ACB. As assistant commissioner, Budgam, he benefited illegal occupants of the state land as part of Roshni scam by arbitrarily fixing prices lower than market rate. Mohammad Qasim Wani, regional director with Survey and Land Records, is an accused in an ACB case relating to purchase of substandard material at exorbitant rates for ICDS projects. Noor Alam amassed assets disproportionate to his income by indulging in corruption. Mujib-ur-Rehman Ghassi, in his capacity as registrar, cooperative societies, J&K, faced an FIR by the ACB for alleged illegal facilitation and sanctioning of loan worth crores of rupees to a non-existent society by J&K State Cooperative Bank. Fayaz Ahmad Banday, also under suspension, had allegedly, as BMO, Beerwah, got fake bills processed and disbursed as salary, GPS and arrears in the name of staff members, some of whom were non-existent.
The other four employees being ousted for alleged corruption are Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din, found to have misappropriated huge amounts of funds with respect to disbursement of payments to ration dealers. He was prematurely retired from service but reinstated for lack of prosecution sanction. However, the prosecution sanction came subsequently. Rakesh Kumar Pargal was also charged with preparing fake records and making false receipts of dispatched food grain. Parshottam Kumar, had, as storekeeper in Panchery, drawn an excess amount of Rs 36 crore on account of loading/unloading charges by falsification of records and misappropriated the said amount.
( News Source :Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Rashtra News staff and is published from a timesofindia.indiatimes.com feed.)
