IBN
LIVE : SRINAGAR: Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Srinagar: Misuse
of official resource is nothing new in Jammu and Kashmir. A Right to
Information query has revealed that the Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand of the
state has been using 25 official cars instead of two authorised.
The
RTI document mentions that various government departments under Chand's
jurisdiction have been faithfully contributing vehicles to him and his office
even though they have been experiencing a crunch.
As
per a government order, a minister is entitled to two vehicles - one for
himself and his guards and the other for his personal staff. Depending on
threat perception, a minister can get a couple of more vehicles through the
security wing of the police department.
Misuse
of official position by those at the helm is nothing new in Jammu and Kashmir,
but a state which is struggling to generate its own revenue and is perpetually
in debt, this flagrant violation of norms certainly does not set a good
example.
Even
if the vehicles have been running for the Deputy Chief Minister, the fuel for
the cars is being sanctioned by the departments he heads. Sources say a few
vehicles have been allotted to the minister's personal staff and have been
shown to be in their possession even though they are not entitled to.
But
Chand has disagreed. He said, "I don't use these vehicles. Some of my
staff may be using them but they are entitled to do so."Clearly, Tara
Chand, who heads the state Urban and Housing Department, has more explaining to
do to the tax payers of his state.