Srinagar: Amidst increasing corruption, the state government has not implemented the recommendations of the State Vigilance Commission for bringing “transparency” in the functioning of the departments.
As per the Commission’s annual report for 2016, the anti-graft body had made several recommendations to the government since 2015 for strengthening the system of internal vigilance in its departments. However, the recommendations are still “awaiting implementation”, the report says.
In one of its unimplemented recommendations, the anti-graft body has asked the government to install CCTV cameras in all offices which have large public interface.
The departments were asked to preserve the recordings for a minimum six months, with periodic examination by a committee headed by a senior officer.
The SVC has made the recommendation in response to the complaints received in the past against the departments with large public dealings. In these departments, the report say, there is a general feeling among people that “the officials are the most corrupt”.
“People believe that no works are being done without bribing officials in these departments,” it states.
The SVC has also asked the government that the sanctioning authority for works of all engineering departments should be different from the executing agency, so as to create an in-built system check against corrupt practices.
The departments were also told to provide complete information on their websites regarding the laws, rules and procedures governing the issue of licenses, permissions, clearances, and certificates.
So far, as per the report, that too has been ignored.
The SVC has recommended that the building permissions by municipalities should be streamlined. Several departments were asked to provide all requisite NOCs to applicants through a single window.
“The guidelines for the constructions, area of construction, fire gaps, and fire security measures be notified on the website of the SMC and JMC. Strong inspection mechanism be put in place by constituting a committee having all the powers to dismantle any illegal structures, which have been constructed in violation of notified guidelines,” read some of the recommendations made to the state.
The SVC has also recommended that premature transfers in all the departments need to be “stopped except on disciplinary grounds”.
“All transfers should be done on the recommendations of a board constituted for the purpose,” it says.
It has recommended that the drug testing laboratories need to be upgraded on the pattern of in-house laboratories of multinational companies.
“Besides, general public also needs to be provided access to these Laboratories for getting the drugs tested which they purchase from market, against charge of a nominal and reasonable fee,” it states.
There are two state drug testing laboratories but these are not able to fulfill the requirements for quick and quality testing of drugs, the report adds.
Besides, there are several other recommendations made by the SVC on which the government has not acted so far.
However one of the senior ministers of the PDP-BJP government said that they are on job to root out the corruption. “We have taken several measures in this regard and that several recommendations of SVC have already been implemented,” the minister said insisted not to be named. (KNS)
