Not tough action, but mastermind officers of the Thanamandi Municipality backdoor recruitment scam given prime posting; Why was Secretary ULB silent?

Not tough action, but mastermind officers of the Thanamandi Municipality backdoor recruitment scam given prime posting; Why was Secretary ULB silent?

POONCH TODAY NEWS

RAJOURI/POONCH: Despite having authentic proof of massive recruitment fraud scripted by a few Executive Officers in the Thanamandi municipality, the government of J&K UT, instead of punishing them, had given prime postings to them. The matter was taken up by the district administration in Rajouri on public complaints, and a committee was formed to investigate the issue.

When the committee submitted its report, the same was forwarded to Secretary ULB by the Rajouri administration. Everybody was expecting a strong action against the erring executive officers, but what forced the then Secretary ULB to remain silent, and it’s a big question mark on the working of the ULB department. In the investigation conducted by the committee constituted by the Rajouri administration, it was found that forged signatures and letterheads of Director Urban Local Bodies were used, and many close relatives of a few Executive Officers were recruited through the backdoor on the posts meant for Safai Karamcharis. A few of them were also promoted to the next level, including junior assistants. A number of employees were recruited through illegal means by a few executive officers by crossing all limits of forgery. In addition to the backdoor recruitment scam, the same set of executive officers also murdered government exchequers on fraud works, including scripting illegal financial transactions, the report said. The inquiry committee detected many loopholes in the working of the Thanamandi municipality, and the report was sent to higher authorities of the ULB, but the deliberate silence maintained by the then Secretary ULB to protect the tainted executive officer shows that all were involved from bottom to top. Sources in the Directorate of ULB Jammu told “POONCH TODAY” that in many municipalities, a large number of temporary employees were recruited through foul means over the years, but the government never conducted an inquiry into the issue. However, one of those Executive Officers who were part and parcel of the Thanamandi municipality backdoor recruitment scam was given prime posting by the government in the Poonch district, and some of them were retired from the active service. Highly placed sources in the ULB department said that such an officer who remained the mastermind of such foul plays is also doing the same in the Poonch district, as he was openly protected by the former Deputy Commissioner Poonch. During his ongoing tenure as E.O. Poonch, many wrong practices have been started in the municipality, as insiders told “POONCH TODAY” that the said E.O. loves to play individual shots in every matter. It’s a strange thing that the officer, who was one of the key persons in the Thanamandi municipality backdoor recruitment scam, has not been taken to task yet by the government. Moreover, those who manage their illegal postings in the ULB also gave a major setback to the government exchequer. Will the government start a high-level inquiry to bring to book those who played havoc with the recruitment rules and for their involvement in various financial scams?