The recently appointed new incharge Director Agriculture Kashmir Syed Altaf Aijaz Andrabi has been placed over and above scores of seniors in the agriculture production department including Jitender Sharma the only senior most officer confirmed in district cadre by the competent authority who occupied the position of Incharge Director Agriculture for more than three months and was replaced by Haroon Malik a senior KAS Officer only three months back. Meanwhile senior officers of the agriculture department while seeking immediate revocation of order issue to ask Altaf Aijaz Andrabi to look after the charge of director agriculture Kashmir have alleged that two juniors have been appointed incharge director agriculture Kashmir and incharge director command area development to derail the process of departmental promotion committee started for legal promotions strictly as per seniority. However minister for agriculture Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura when contacted said that Syed Altaf Aijaz Andrabi will hold the charge as director agriculture Kashmir just for a month or two till the final seniority of officers is finalized and the possibility of appointing senior most officers as full fledged director agriculture Kashmir will be explored.
Highly placed sources said while Jitender Sharma the present Joint Director Agriculture Inputs (Kashmir) the senior most officer of the Agriculture Production department is the only officer confirmed by competent authority in the district cadre, the newly appointed Director Agriculture Kashmir Syed Altaf Aijaz Andrabi recruited as village extension worker in the year 1984 was promoted as Agriculture Extension Officer and equivalent on the recommendations of J&K Public Service Commission vide Commission’s letter no: PSC/DPC/agri/10/2011;dated, 04-02-2013 by the agriculture department vide order no:113 agri of 2013;dated: 19-03-2013 with retrospective effect from October 1988. Sources said important to notice for the government was the position of Syed Altaf Aijaz Andrabi in the overall senior list and the seniority list of village extension workers in the promotion seniority list of Agriculture Extension Officers issued vide order no:113 agri of 2013;dated: 19-03-2013. Sources further revealed that Andrabi stands at S.No:460 in the overall seniority list at at S.No 36 in the promotion seniority list of the agriculture extension officers issued vide order no: :113 agri of 2013;dated: 19-03-2013 with retrospective effect from October 1988. It is in placed to mention here that while in-house officers appointed as directors in the agriculture had to go on the charges of corruption and administrative irregularities, the senior KAS officers appointed as directors of agriculture department had almost brought the department back on rails. The fear gripping the employees in agriculture department is the revival of financial and administrative irregularities witnessed during the reigns of two former in-house directors Gh Haider Bhat and Bashir Ahmed Dar. Interestingly both Gh Haider Bhat and Bashir Ahmed Dar had to face the proceedings before the anti-corruption courts where cases against them were challaned by State Vigilance Organization (SVO).
However Government stung a surprise in last week’s cabinet decision by virtue of which Haroon Malik a senior KAS officer known for his professional integrity and uprightness was unceremoniously attached with General Administration Department and Syed Altaf Aijaz Andrabi was asked to look after the charge of Director Agriculture Kashmir to supercede scores of seniors including ex incharge director agriculture Kashmir presently holding the charge of joint director agriculture inputs Kashmir. The other seniors superceded by Syed Altaf Aijaz Andrabi are Mubarak Reshi 1981batch officer presently Joint Director Agriculture (Mushroom), Gh Hassan Guroo 1983 batch officer presently Joint Director Agriculture (Engineering), S.R. Galotra 1983 batch Officer of Scheduled Cast category presentkl, Sudesh Koul 1979 batch officer presently Joint Director Agriculture (Inputs) Jammu , Sambyal 1983 batch officer presently Joint Director Fertilizers and Ab Rahim Samoon of Schedule Tribe category 1988 batch officer presently Joint Director Rakhs & Farms. When contacted minister for agriculture Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura told KNS “Syed Altaf Aijaz Andrabi is a competent and capable officer but we are working on finalization of the seniority list of officers. He will hold the charge of Director Agriculture Kashmir just for a month or two till the seniority list of officers is finalized. The senior most officers will be appointed as full fledged director agriculture Kashmir but there is no bar on the government that only the senior most officers is to be appointed as director agriculture Kashmir. In past we had some KAS officers also who were appointed as director agriculture Kashmir. We will resolve the issue in a month or two. Meanwhile senior officers of the agriculture department have condemned the engagement of two juniors Syed Altaf Aijaz Andrabi and Ashok Malhotra as in charge director agriculture Kashmir and incharge director command area development Jammu respectively. Warning the government of dire consequences the officers have immediate revocation of the said controversial orders which according them have derailed the process of genuine and legitimate promotion strictly as per seniority through a process kicstarted by the departmental promotion committee. (KNS)