Jammu, 3 April (H.S.): In a major administrative rejig, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has ordered the transfer and posting of 48 J-K Administrative Service (JKAS) officers — a move that is likely to create a rumbling in the National Conference-led government in the Union Territory.
In a move seen by many as an attempt to take full control of the bureaucracy, the LG ordered the transfer of 48 middle-rung JKAS officers, including 14 additional deputy commissioners and 26 sub-divisional magistrates.
The LG ordered the transfer and posting of additional deputy commissioners in Pulwama, Kupwara, Basohli, Doda, Anantnag, Sunderbani, Rajouri, Nowshera, Baramulla, Srinagar, Ganderbal, Kathua, Bhaderwah and Handwara.
The order issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) on Tuesday came at a time when the elected government was waiting for a nod from the Union home ministry for the business rules it framed about a month ago and sent to the lieutenant governor (LG) for approval to facilitate smooth governance without confusion.
In the run up to the much-awaited Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs last July amended the “transaction of business rules”, enhancing the powers of the LG in matters related to police, public order, all-India services such as the IAS and IPS, and the granting of prosecution sanctions.
“Until we receive statehood, it is necessary to establish business rules for clarity. It took some time, but yesterday (March 5) at 8 pm, we convened a Cabinet meeting and finalised the business rules. They were approved by the Cabinet,” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said while replying on the motion of thanks to the LG’s address in the Assembly on March 6.
He also said the rules have been submitted to the LG for approval, and “we hope they will be approved”.
Abdullah had earlier openly criticised the dual governance model in the Union Territory — where he shares power with the LG — as a “recipe for disaster.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar
