The state government has launched a massive drive to verify the degrees of the officers in the agriculture department over complaints that several of them have forged their dates of birth (DoB) or submitted fake degrees.
Two District Agriculture Officers and 10 non-gazetted employees have been suspended after their degrees were found fake or they had forged their DoBs in the service books.
Fayaz Qadri, a former District Officer, Budgam, was supposed to retire in 2012 but he had forged his DoB to reduce his age by six years in documents. He was suspended in November.
Similarly, a school certificate of another officer in Srinagar, Mehmooda Mir, was found fake and she has been put under suspension.
“In past few weeks, we have suspended 12 employees, including two officers, as they had submitted fake DoB certificates to extend their services,” said Director Agriculture, Kashmir, Altaf Aijaz Andrabi.
Andrabi has asked the Drawing and Disbursing Officers of Kashmir on November 12 to verify the documents of all employees to weed out employees who have submitted fake and forged documents.
“Various complaints were pouring into the department wherein it was alleged that some officials have made insertions in their service records, especially in respect to DoB, on the basis of fake and forged certificates to earn undue benefits. This is a matter of grave concern and needs to be discouraged,” said communication from Andrabi.
Officials say the government has recovered nearly Rs 35.5 lakh from Qadri which he had drawn deceitfully as an active government servant.
Another employee has shown his DoB certificate of Government School Naraspora in Khag, which doesn’t exist.
The government is recovering salary taken by such officials under the provisions of the Land Ceiling Act with penal interest of 12 percent for causing loss to the exchequer. Also, criminal cases have been registered against these officers.
Credit: tribuneindia.com
