KL Report

SRINAGAR

While the Election Commission of India announced schedule for Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday the Model Code of Conduct which came into force immediately, is allegedly being violated by some bureaucrats who in violation of election guidelines are issuing transfer orders in back dates.

Sources told KNS that soon after the ECI announced poll dates for Jammu and Kashmir, some officials either modified earlier transfer orders or issued new ones with retrospective effect. “Some government departments under the pressure of ministers are allegedly trying to place officials in so-called cream areas despite the model code of conduct that has been in force since Saturday,” they said.

Sources said that not only this, the attempts are being made to transfer some top officers , in stark violation of the model code of conduct, apparently under the pressure of ministers in the ruling political dispensation.

A senior officer in Civil Secretariat told KNS that some orders were issued even on Sunday and Monday with back dates. “In some departments, several dispatch numbers have been kept blank in pre-dates. These dispatch numbers alongwith dates are being used to issue back date orders,” he claimed.

Quoting example of Principal Chief Conservator Forests (PCCF) office, he claimed, “Orders of several foresters, range officers and other lower level staff were issued on Sunday and Monday in lieu of money by some senior bureaucrats using the same modus operandi.”

In Directorate of Urban Local Bodies Kashmir, a few officials against whom vigilance cases are pending, were posted on significant postings on October 25, the day MCC came into force. Under order number: DULB/ESTT/294/375 dated 24-10-2014 and order number DULB/Estt/PS/86-II/378 dated 25-10-2014 atleast 10 officials were given plum postings.

Some of these officials had been reinstated after remaining suspended for various reasons recently, sources said. “The dispatch numbers of these orders were entered in the dispatch register after the MCC came into force,” they alleged.

On Saturday Chief election commission announced five-phased Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir from November 25 to December 20.

If sources are to be believed, in education department the transfer list of some teachers was set to come out on Monday but the department pulled out when the matter got leaked.

Viewing their apprehensions the Bhartiya Janta Party said that the ECI should take all the measures for the conduct of free and fair polls in Jammu and Kashmir. “It is urgently needed to be checked in the interest of unbiased, free and fair conduct of elections,” BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir affairs in charge Avinash Rai Khanna told KNS.

Meanwhile talking to KNS Chief Electoral Officer Umag Narula said that action under law will be initiated against those who will found violating Model Code of Conduct.

“The Model Code of Conduct came into force on the day of announcement of Assembly elections in the Jammu and Kashmir and all the political parties, top bureaucrats, police officials etc should understand the Model Code of Conduct in strict sense. Whosoever violates the Election commission guidelines, action will be initiated against them,” he said and added that special teams have been formed to monitor the implementation of Model Code of Conduct.

He also said that for each Assembly Constituency, the special squad has been constituted to look after the violation of Model Code of Conduct then and there and take corrective measures.

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