Blue-eyed clerical staff members calling open shots in health Department Poonch, not shifted for several years; Top officers back them in lieu of hefty shares

Blue-eyed clerical staff members calling open shots in health Department Poonch, not shifted for several years; Top officers back them in lieu of hefty shares

POONCH TODAY NEWS

POONCH: Due to the posting of some blue-eyed clerical staff members for years at the same place in the Poonch Health Department, Poonch district, a corruption culture rose heavily over the years, with the tainted officials looting funds meant for public health care and strengthening of the health infrastructure.

These staff members have become so powerful in the department that nothing moves without their consent. The level of sorry state of affairs is so horrifying that even top officers find themselves trapped in their clutches because the share to top officers goes through these powerful clerical staff members. In various NHM schemes of the government of India, huge loot was reported in the health department of Poonch, with the CMO and medical superintendent’s office used to give full backing to these clerical staff members. Some employees never attend to their two and a half days of duties but have become agents in the department for scripting various financial deals, transfer and attachment orders from the top. These tainted employees, in fact, work as agents between the top officers posted at Jammu and Poonch and were never seen attending their regular duties but draw a full salary regularly. Some sections in the hospital are defunct and have been closed for a long time, but the concerned never took action against those employees who are posted in those sections. The main motto of some of the clerical staff members is to hit the financial bull’s-eyes, being least bothered about other issues. A tainted health department official was brought to Poonch from Surankote tehsil as punishment, but here he was given the charge of a cashier in a reputable office of the department. Corruption culture has become flourishing in the department openly, with bounties shared among the important chairs regularly. Despite publishing by “POONCH TODAY” about a number of financial frauds in the department, not a single inquiry has been initiated against these powerful clerical staff members who have never been shifted to another place of posting for years together. An insider in the department told “POONCH TODAY” that if the government conducts an inquiry scheme-wise, then various big frauds worth thousands of crores will come out, including the GEM purchasing scam in which many clerical staff members are involved. “POONCH TODAY” is in possession of some official data which clearly shows how huge sums of funds were transferred on paper for unknown purchases to some private parties. Purchases made by the department through GEM and the stock register don’t match each other, and in maximum cases, there are no whereabouts of various government items that were claimed to be purchased through GEM. This fraud has its roots in the Medical Supplies Corporation as well. Over the years, a massive blow was given to government funds in a well-planned manner, but those holding important posts at the directorate and secretary level never bothered to order a single inquiry against the tainted officials who are believed to have looted the government exchequer in crores. It’s time for the government to order a high-level inquiry to find out how a number of clerical staff employees have not been shifted for long and what the reasons behind that are.