Introduction to KashmirForum.org Blog

I launched the website and the Blog after having spoken to government officials, political analysts and security experts specializing in South Asian affairs from three continents. The feedback was uniformly consistent. The bottom line is that when Kashmiris are suffering and the world has its own set of priorities, we need to find ways to help each other. We must be realistic, go beyond polemics and demagoguery, and propose innovative ideas that will bring peace, justice and prosperity in all of Jammu and Kashmir.

The author had two reasons to create this blog. First, it was to address the question that was being asked repeatedly, especially, by journalists and other observers in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, inquiring whether the Kashmiri society was concerned about social, cultural and environmental challenges in the valley given that only political upheaval and violence were reported or highlighted by media.

Second, the author has covered the entire spectrum of societal issues and challenges facing Kashmiri people over an 8-year period with the exception of politics given that politics gets all the exposure at the expense of REAL CHALLENGES that will likely result in irreversible degradation in the quality of life and the standard of living for future generations of Kashmiris to come.

The author stopped adding additional material to the Blog once it was felt that most, if not all, concerns, challenges and issues facing the Kashmiri society are cataloged in the Blog. There are over 1900 entries in the Blog and most commentaries include short biographical sketches of authors to bring readers close to the essence of Kashmir. Unfortunately, the 8-year assessment also indicates that neither Kashmiri civil society, nor intellectuals or political leadership have any inclination or enthusiasm in pursuing issues that do not coincide with their vested political agendas. What it means for the future of Kashmiri children and their children is unfathomable. But the evidence is all laid out.

This Blog is a reality check on Kashmir. It is a historical record of how Kashmir lost its way.

Vijay Sazawal, Ph.D.
www.kashmirforum.org

Friday, July 13, 2012

Corruption and Deceit in G B Pant Hospital

Basharat lifts the lid and finds a can of worms

(Mr. Syed Basharat, 31, was born in Kreeri, Baramulla, and did his schooling in Kreeri, and later in Uri and Sopore. He graduated from the Degree College in Baramulla and completed his Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the Kashmir University in 2005. He has been a reporter for Kashmir Images, a Srinagar based daily, London based website Gaashonline.Com, and a Srinagar based journal, Globe. Currently, he is working as a special correspondent with Jammu based daily newspaper, The Kashmir Times.)

Administrative mis-adventures in G B Pant hospital: Employee service books ‘fraudulently’ signed

Srinagar: It is not only hapless infants who died because of official apathy but the employees working in G B Pant hospital are surely going to face unexplained trouble, once they retire from their services. Courtesy: their ‘forged’ service books.

Kashmir Times is in possession of an official document, disclosing how an unauthorised non state government employee has signed almost all the service books of hospital employees illegally.

Informed sources revealed that Dr Muneer Masoodi, the present Medical Superintendent G B Pant hospital has shot off a letter to the government exposing Dr Tejinder Singh’s extra constitutional ‘administrative’ adventures. Dr Masoodi was presented certain services books for completion/verification of services, increment entries and leave entries as Drawing and Disbursing Officer of G B Pant hospital which has prompted him to inform the government about the malpractices of Dr Singh.

‘It came as a shock to the undersigned and extreme surprise that many of these service books had been signed by an employee not of the state of Jammu and Kashmir government, but that of the Cantonment Board who is not on rolls of the G B Pant/children hospital and who was a Resident Medical Officer in 1994 and was asked by the government to act as Dy MS under some Memorandum of Understanding signed between state government and the Cantonment Board,” reads the letter forwarded by Dr Masoodi, the copy of which is in possession of Kashmir Times.

The letter adds: “The person concerned, one Dr Tejinder Singh, has been signing these service books of the employees as Medical Superintendent of the hospital which is against all business norms, service conduct rules, financial laws and codes and authority prescribed. For years together in some cases Dy MS has been utilising the seal of Medical Superintendent whereas his signatures are not authenticated in the treasury ever since and the service books now bear number of doubtful entries which no one can authenticate.”

Terming the disclosures as an extremely sad state of affairs in the hospital, Dr Masoodi has demanded probe into the fraud allegedly committed by Dr Singh. “The undersigned regrets to mention that once these service books will be presented for settlement of pension cases, the employees are going to be in a big trouble…As a corrective measure, I would like to suggest that an administrative inspection of all these service books lying in the office of establishment of the Medical Superintendent of G B Pant hospital be conducted by accounts officer GMC Srinagar, accounts officer associated hospitals in Srinagar and personal officer of associated hospitals.”

The present Medical Superintendent has further recommended that entries in the service books where fictitious signatures have been found be re-verified from the personal files of the employees and written with the fresh entries. “And a committee of officers should certify that the entries made are genuine and then alone these entries be made into the service books of these employees after informing all the concerned quarters. Matter may be treated on priority and urgent as the employees are retiring and they may get in trouble and may face unnecessary delay in settlement of pension cases for no fault of theirs,” reads the letter of present Medical Superintendent G B pant hospital.

Sources have revealed that the height of inefficiency on part of the administrative department health and medical education civil secretariat is that it has never asked for financial and administrative inspections for all these years till the situation took ugly turn and anybody could sign service books without any authority and get away with it for years together.

“The person (Dr Singh) has made a bonfire of all service rules, putting hundreds of employees’ of G B pant hospital into big trouble,” sources in the civil secretariat said. It is also surprising that the annual audit parties of accounts department and office of accounts general Kashmir could not locate this gross blunder, sources informed.

When asked about his letter to the government, Dr Muneer Masoodi, told Kashmir Times: “I cannot comment on any of the subjects related to this hospital in view of the Public Interest Litigation against G B Pant hospital being heard by the Honorable High Court.”

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