The Congress has questioned the Jammu & Kashmir Government on lifting blanket ban on transfer of Government employees ahead of the Assembly elections and obliquely blamed the ruling National Conference for using “notorious transfer industry” for political gains.
The party, which is part of the coalition Government, urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to closely monitor the renewed transfer policy lest it was misused by vested interests in run up to the Assembly polls.
The J&K Government had issued a directive on September 15 stopping all transfers but the order was revoked on October 11, apparently in the backdrop of improvement in flood situation. The ban on transfers was imposed to ensure employees’ involvement in flood situation.
The coalition Government is under flak for its failure to mobilise men and machinery when the devastating floods hit the Valley.
“It is commonly acknowledged that J&K has a notorious transfer industry in which political patronage and corruption flourish”, said Salman Anees Soz, spokesman of the Congress, whose father Saifuddin Soz heads the Coordination Committee of the coalition Government.
He said the irregularities in transfers in J&K have been reported and it is very unlikely that implementation of the Government’s order will be in accordance with established policies.
Urging strict monitoring by the ECI to reduce the risk of grave irregularities, Soz suggested that J&K Government must regularly furnish all data related to transfers from now until the completion of the election. “If the ECI does not step in, there is every reason to believe that some candidates who have access to the corridors of power will try to benefit either monetarily or politically and damage the prospects of candidates who are without such access. This will further erode the system of governance in J&K, which is already in a state of disrepair”, he said.