2 accused officials still ruling the roost in EDI
ABRAR MATTOO
SRINAGAR, Nov 16: Seven months on, the authorities are yet to initiate action against the two officers of the Jammu & Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI), whose involvement in influencing the special audit of the Institute was not ruled out by the Crime Branch Kashmir in its investigation report.
According to the Crime Branch investigation in PVK 79/2021, two faculty members of JKEDI, Meiraj-ud-Din Bhat and Dr. Naila Khanday have been accused of influencing the auditors of the Audit and Inspections Department through their next of kin (NOKs) working at senior positions in the Finance Department in civil secretariat.
The Crime Branch probe reveals that the official duo with the help of their relatives and acquaintances were involved in misusing their official position to suppress the facts during the Special Audit of the JKEDI which was conducted in the year 2021.
“The allegation that the auditors had worked under the influence of two senior officers of JKEDI as their NOKs are working at senior positions in the Finance Department cannot be ruled out. The auditors have excluded observations pertaining to them in the 2nd Special Audit report as discrepancies pertaining to qualifications of Ms. Naila Khanday, as reported in print media as well as deputation of Mr. Meiraj-ud-Din Bhat to a very senior position in S&T Department, J&K Government in relaxation of the rules /technical qualifications as also not reflected in the report,” reads the CBK report, a copy of which lies with the Kashmir Despatch.
The Crime Branch submitted its report vide No. CBK/PV-79/21/6595-6603 Dated 04.04.2022. However, the government is yet to initiate action as warranted under rules against the accused officials. Instead, the two officers are ruling the roost despite a number of complaints pending against them.
The Crime Branch in its report has given major recommendations based on the investigation findings and in light of the revised audit report furnished by the Directorate of Audit & Inspections J&K.
However, the blue-eyed officers have been able to dump the report under the carpet and nothing has been done so far in this sensitive matter.
This is not the first time that any such official order against Bhat has been rendered ineffective. Dr. Meiraj-ud-Din Bhat also managed to hush up an order issued against him by the then Director for dereliction of duties vide No. EDI/DIR-181 of 2020 dated: 23.12.2020; wherein the Finance Section of the institute was directed to make necessary deductions from his salary for the month of December 2020 and also make necessary entries in his service records.
In the year 2015, the institute vide order No. JKEDI/HR-254 of 2015 dated 29-09-2015, forfeited the annual increment of Dr. Meiraj ud Din and Dr. Naila for the period July 2014- June 2015 along with some other officials for poor performance.
Dr. Bhat who is actually In-charge Training, JKEDI has clandestinely taken over as OSD to the Director JKEDI, Aejaz Ahmad, a senior IAS officer recently transferred to the institute to manage the affairs.
However, Dr Bhat in violation of rules has been issuing the orders related to personnel and administration cadre despite him being a faculty member.
One such example is the recent order issued by him regarding the JKRMS portal of the Government of J&K, while the officers selected and appointed in the Personnel and Administration cadre of the institute have either been sidelined or transferred to the district centres of JKEDI.
Sources in the JKEDI revealed that the two influential officials have been able to secure prime postings as per their likings and in violation of the rules.
Pertinently there is another probe going on against these officials in Crime Branch Kashmir under PVK 04/2022 which is yet to be concluded by CBK.
The role of these officials does not stop here. They are dictating things in almost every aspect of the institute even if it is not their domain, sources added.
The government has ordered restructuring of the institute on the recommendations of the Governing Body and a high-level committee has been constituted by GAD in this regard.
However, the two officials have managed to mislead the incumbent Director of the institute who has in turn entrusted these officials with the sensitive matter of drafting proposals for the restructuring and supervision of other administrative issues in violation of the rules.
Many delegations of the employees of the institute have already met the Director JKEDI and have also submitted numerous representations on different forums in this regard but till date no action has been initiated against these erring faculty members.
