State Times: Jammu: Wednesday, November 28,
2018.
Despite orders of the Governor bringing
J&K Bank within the purview of RTI Act, it’s unfortunate that the said bank
has refused to entertain the RTI applications, Harsh Dev Singh, JKNPP Chairman
and former Minister told reporters here on Tuesday.
He disclosed that the RTI application of
Panthers Party was refused by the J&K Bank when the party had approached
the Regional Office of the Bank at Rail Head Complex yesterday.
He said that the bank officials read the
RTI, interacted with their superiors and then returned the same to the party
leadership openly refusing to accept the same.
By declining to entertain the RTI
application, the J&K Bank has not only violated the directions of the
Constitutional Head of the State but also exhibited its contempt for the
transparency law as operational in the State, said Singh. He was addressing a
press conference in Jammu today. While the decision of the SAC, headed by the
Governor, bringing J&K Bank under RTI Act was a welcome move, its defiance
by the said bank was unfortunate and opprobrious.
It only revealed the bank’s disregard for
accountability and transparency and further suggesting thereby that it had much
to conceal, said Harsh.
He said that RTI application should have
been used by the J&K Bank to clarify its position with regard to the
allegations levelled against it from time to time regarding abuse of public
money and complaints of backdoor appointments, if at all it was fair and honest
in its dealings.
He said that through the RTI, he had
sought the details of appointments made by the J&K Bank during the last
four years without issuance of advertisement notifications, the details of
wilful defaulters, NPAs, bad debts, over-valued mortgages, unverified investors
etc with particular reference to the role of ministers, MLAs and top
bureaucrats. He said that defiance of the RTI Act by the bank despite
Governor’s directives was not only scandalous but most shocking and full of
offense. Urging upon the Governor to take cognisance of the highly contemptuous
act of the bank, Singh sought appropriate punitive action against the concerned
Bank authorities for such wilful defiance of the orders of the head of the
constitution as well as of governmemnt.
Flaying the Kashmir based parties for
their Jangle and rattle created against the declaration of J&K Bank as PSU
and its inclusion under RTI Act purview, Singh said that these parties had used
the said Bank as their personal fiefdom for years despite 59 per cent
government share in it.
Not only had the resources of the bank
been abused by PDP and NC through huge financial irregularities but huge
appointments through back door were being made in furtherance of their personal
and political interests. And with the Chairman of J&K Bank being always
appointed from Kashmir Division, the people of Jammu region suffered worst
humiliation and discrimination from the said bank too, regretted Singh.
Parshotam Parihar State Secretary
Panthers Trade Union was also present in the press conference.
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