Provides Accommodation To Sweepers, Orderlies And Dead
Kashmir Scenario Disclosure
In a brazen violation to its prescribed norms, the Jammu and Kashmir’s Estates Department has shockingly allotted residential accommodation to the sweepers, orderlies and some of persons – declared long back, Kashmir Scenario has learnt
Ironically, the department has also provided accommodations to the persons living in the city suburbs some of the political workers.
In a reply to quires under Right to Information Act (RTI) filled by The Kashmir Scenario, it has come to fore that the department has allotted accommodation to fake names, dead people and persons living in the city.
Though 84 per cent accommodation is made available for Move Employees and rest of the accommodation is meant for government employees posted outside the division of residence, central government employees and employees of judiciary; however accommodation has not been allotted to deserved persons.
According to the annexure provided by the department, flat has been provided to one Salima Bano who is working as sweeper in Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS). Interestingly the candidate belongs to Srinagar City who is in no way entitled to accommodation.
Another sweeper of Shri Mahraja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital has been provided with accommodation.
The irregularities have not stopped here. The flats have been provided even to orderly employees.
According to the annexure provided by the department, accommodation has also been allotted to an orderly employee- Bashir Ahmad – at General Administration department (GAD).
The list of persons availing the facility of government apartments also include Junior Assistants, drivers and teachers who in noway are entitled to avail the facility.
At Serial Number 42 flat has been allotted to Shabir Ahmad Mundu, Driver Agriculture Department. Similarly at Serial 48, Ghulam Ahmad Dar is an Orderly employee while at serial 51, Viqar ul Nisa, a Junior Assistant have been provided accommodation.
According to the norms, 5% discretionary quota is placed under the discretion of ‘the Minister Estates for persons other than the Government employees which includes Media Persons, Freedom Fighters and ex-legislators.
However the department has thrown norms to winds in this quota too. Sources said that all the persons allotted the accommodation are blue eyed persons and officials managed to allot flats to them without proper procedure.
At Budshah flats, the Estates Department has provided flat to the office bearer of a daily Urdu Newspaper since 1977. “One fails to understand how from past 35 years the flat is occupied by a non-media person under the title of Journalists.
The reply filled by the Estates Department show dozens of flats have been allotted to persons who were once associated with Cable TV channels which are banned from past 5 years.
Among the journalists’ quota include Masood Ahmad-ex Correspondent BBC, (who never was working as an official correspondent with the Organization) Nazir Ahmad Wani Editor Subah-e-Kashmir and several other journalists are having quarters without proper orders.
These journalists are still occupying estates quarters who are no longer working with the organizations under which they have been sanctioned these estates quarters. According to rules, Department should have evicted the flat holders soon after leaving the job.
As per eviction rules of the Estates Department the retired or those employees who have passed away, their quarters have to be evicted within one or two months, however discrepancies have been witnessed their also.
Shamas-ud-Din Shameem was a journalist with Doordarshan Kendra Srinagar and passed away years before, however a flat is still allotted to some unknown persons in his name.
The serious violations and rot in the system does not stop here only. Even the bungling has also been witnessed in payment of rent. According to reports, Lacs of rupees are pending with the dwellers.
The gross violation of rules has brought miseries to the deserving people who belong to far flung areas of the state and work in Srinagar. Though accommodation has been allotted to erstwhile journalists and local government employees, the working journalists are suffering by paying huge rents. “I moved application a year before but I was told there is no accommodation. I don’t know what happened to my application. It was simply put in dust bin. There was no official response to the application,” said Sheikh Saleem a journalist.
Irfan Qureshi, working as a correspondent with a national NEWS channel from past five years and belonging to a remote area, Qureshi says that he went from pillar to post to get a quarter of Estates but in vain. “They openly demand bribe for just searching accommodation,” he said. “They have issued quarters to even dead people and to the employees who belong to Srinagar city”.
Pertinently, even after assurances by the concerned department, some of the oddest English dailies still don’t have their accommodations allotted.
The disclosures has punctured the claims of NC led coalition government who day in and day out champion transparency and accountability.