IAS, KAS ranks in Chaos: Under Guv’s rule seniority subverted, institutional trespassing allowed

Srinagar: Though Governor N N Vohra commands great deal of respect for showing respect to institutions directly connected with accountability of administration for the last more than ten years but this time he (Governor) has allowed both the central government and his team of advisors along with the new chief secretary to subvert seniority and allow the officers from J&K police service to occupy responsible positions in the higher echelons of the state bureaucracy.
In a severe blow to J&K cadre IAS ranks the Modi government immediately after the imposition of governor’s rule in the state imposed a non J&K cadre IAS officer B V R Subrahmanyam with 1987 as year of allotment is junior to K B Aggarwal whose year of allotment is 1985 and holds the position of Financial Commissioner Housing and Urban development department in the Jammu & Kashmir Government. The appointment of the outgoing chief secretary B B Vyas as his advisor and bringing in another Chief Secretary ranked retired IAS officer after prompting to him to quit as head of State Information Commissioner as his another advisor were obviously the most miscalculated decisions of the Governor N N Vohra as both the advisors choosen by him from the retired lot of J&K cadre IAS officers have started promoting the officers of their choice in contravention to the procedures of seniority and performance.
Vohra headed State Administrative Council (SAC) in a major setback to the local J&K cadre IAS officers removed a promising IAS officer of great public repute Asgar Samoon as Financial Commissioner revenue and put him in command over one of the most insignificant department like Animal & Sheep husbandry as Principal Secretary. Contrary to the placement of Samoon as Principal Secretary Animal & Sheep husbandry the Vohra headed SAC posted some IAS officer of doubtful integrity as administrative secretaries of some key departments and the service track records of these IAS officers themselves speak volumes about their doubtful integrity and poor showing. Virtually leaving untouched officers dearer to many former minister of BJP and PDP the Vohra headed SAC did not bother to relieved two KAS officers of doubtful integrity of the additional charges of administrative secretary social welfare and science technology departments and interestingly both these KAS officer have been inducted into the state services through backdoor. Both the KAS officer were given the charges of administrative secretaries by the previous PDP-BJP coalition government days before it fell. Ironically a lady IAS officer of special secretary grade continues to hold the charge as Secretary rural development department from the day she was put on this elevated position by the previous PDP-BJP government before the formal rural development minister Abdul Haq Khan was dropped by the then Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
Shocking for J&K cadre IAS ranks it is that while a non J&K cadre lady IAS officer of 2014 batch was appointed as Deputy Commissioner Budgam an IAS officer of 2009 batch Shahid Iqbal Chowdhry far far senior to incumbent Deputy Commissioner Budgam has been also appointed as Deputy Commissioner of one of districts of North Kashmir. While Khursheed Ahmad Sanai a KAS officer of 1999 year of allotment has been reverted back to the position of Additional Deputy Commissioner another KAS officer Bharat Bushan having the same year of allotment (1999) though down in seniority to Sanai by about 25 slots is holding the position of Director School Education Jammu a post equivalent to Deputy Commission.
The worst precedence of institutional trespassing allowed by the Vohra administration is the appointment of an officer of Kashmir Police Service with the personal staff of Vijay Kumar one of three advisors of the governor and allowing an officer from police administration to hold a position in the civil secretariat is virtually endorsement of the decisions of the previous PDP-BJP government as one officer of the state police services was brought by the former Deputy Chief Minister to work with his personal staff. Interestingly the presence of this officer of state police service with his personal had made the former Deputy Chief Minister virtually inaccessible for the people of the state.
The time when Home Minister Rajnath Singh is talking about transparency in administration the Vohra administration is bringing juniors on key positions and bringing down seniors to junior positions and what hurts the eye watchers in Kashmir is the institutional trespassing taking place in civil administration.