Like naives public functionaries are trespassing institutional and administrative jurisdictions these days in Jammu & Kashmir. Demonstrating actions of institutional trespassing the newly elected Mayor Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) Junaid Azim Matoo last week entered into an unwanted row with IGP traffic Basant Rath who very rightly told him that traffic management in Srinagar city is the domain of city traffic police but not the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). Instead of explaining his area of institutional and administrative jurisdiction to Junaid Matoo the newly elected Mayor, the Jammu & Kashmir government has unceremoniously shifted IGP traffic Basanth Rath for the fault of explaining area of his institutional and administrative jurisdiction to SMC Mayor Junaid Matoo. Surprisingly Junaid Matoo did not dare to question the institutional and administrative right of the Deputy Commissioner Syed Abid Rasheed on inviting suggestion from public on designing a logo for Srinagar city. Perhaps the SMC Mayor Junaid Matoo does not know that he as city Mayor but not Syed Abid Rasheed as the Deputy Commissioner Srinagar has institutional and administrative right to set into motion the process for designing a Srinagar logo. For better it would be for Matoo to update himself about his institutional and administrative jurisdiction as Mayor Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). Though institutional and administrative wisdom demands that Basant Rath should have been appreciated for showing the wisdom to explain his area of institutional and administrative jurisdiction to SMC Mayor Junaid Matoo but ironically he has been punished for doing so. Had the government shifted the IGP Basant Rath and the City Traffic Police SSP for their failure in tackling the increasing traffic chaos within the municipal limits of Srinagar city, the people from all walks of life would love to welcome the government’s decision on shifting of IGP Traffic Basant Rath.
The action of the governor’s administration has once again conveyed the message that it can set aside constitutional bindings and standing rules to satisfy the political ego of the leaders of the political party in power at the centre and their cohorts in Jammu & Kashmir. Allowing a particular party to run the government by proxy at the cost of sanctity of the institution of public administration speaks volumes about the institutional and political neutrality of the present dispensation headed by Governor Satya Pal Malik.
Shifting of IGP Traffic Basant Rath over a tweet against SMC Mayor Junaid Matoo has shown that the Jammu & Kashmir Government commanded and controlled by Governor Satya Pal Malik has punished Basant Rath to satisfy the political ego of SMC Mayor Junaid Matoo who belongs to Sajad Gani Lone’s Peoples’ Conference the only ally of BJP in muslim majority Jammu & Kashmir state. The action of the governor’s administration has once again conveyed the message that it can set aside constitutional bindings and standing rules to satisfy the political ego of the leaders of the political party in power at the centre and their cohorts in Jammu & Kashmir. Allowing a particular party to run the government by proxy at the cost of sanctity of the institution of public administration speaks volumes about the institutional and political neutrality of the present dispensation headed by Governor Satya Pal Malik.
