Greater
Kashmir: Srinagar: Monday, 15 February 2016.
As political
uncertainty prevails in Jammu & Kashmir, the State Information Commission
(SIC) is on way to become headless as Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) GR
Sufi is completing his term later this month.
The State’s
first CIC, GR Sufi would hang up his boots on February 27 - leaving the vital
institution headless. The CIC’s exit would create a crisis-like situation in
the statutory body as it is already working without one Information
Commissioner (IC).
Dr SK
Sharma one of the members of the Commission completed his term on October 31,
2015. However, the previous PDP-BJP government didn’t fill the vacancy even as
CIC took up the matter. “We had informed the government in advance (about the
vacancy) but it didn’t fill the position,” an official in the Commission
revealed.
The CIC and
two Information Commissioners are appointed by the Governor on recommendation of a high-powered panel
comprising Chief Minister, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly and
a Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the Chief Minister.
Notably, the
Commission established its writ during the past five years and didn’t hesitate
to summon State’s who and who including a former Chief Secretary to implement
the RTI Act. The SIC would be rendered headless at a time when the list of
non-functional statutory bodies is piling up in the State.
The State
Human Rights Commission is “dead” since June 28, 2014 with neither NC-Congress
government nor PDP-BJP combine filling vacancies to revive it. The institution
comprises of a chairperson and four members.
Official
sources said that owing to inordinate delay in appointment of SHRC chairperson
and members, more than 2200 cases of rights violations are awaiting disposal in
the statutory body.
Another vital
institution, State Water Resources Regulatory Authority (SWWRA) is lying
defunct since October last year. The body turned defunct on October 17, 2015
after its chairperson SS Kapur and members, Abdur Rashid Tak and Vijay Abrol,
completed their 3-year term. The panel is mandated to fix water usage charges
for different purposes including generation of electricity.
The State
Backward Classes Commission and Consumer Commission are also facing similar
administrative apathy. While the Backward Classes Commission is without
chairman since 2014, the Consumer Commission turned headless in October last
year after its chairman Justice Bashir Ahmad Kirmani was appointed as member of
the State Accountability Commission.
An official
told Greater Kashmir that the Backward Classes Commission is unable to decide
on 1600 representations received from different areas for their inclusion in
backward areas list. He said the previous regimes failed to fill the vacancy
after Justice (retd) Ali Muhammad Mir completed his 3-year term on June 30,
2014.
The State
Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) is also functioning without two
members. The panel comprises of a chairperson and two members. At present,
former IAS officer Basharat Ahmad Dhar heads the SERC.
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