Srinagar, April 3 A meeting of National Conference (NC) legislators and allies has been called by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday following the transfer of 48 JKAS officers by Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha, which has sent the political rumour mill rolling in Jammu and Kashmir.
A day before, the Lt. Governor ordered the transfer of 48 JKAS officers at L-G has not been taken lightly by CM Omar Abdullah.
Sources close to him suggest that the elected government sees these orders as interference by the L-G in affairs of administration that are within the powers of the elected government.
“Omar Sahib is unhappy over this development,” said NC sources.
Sources close to the L-G, however, said that these orders pertain to officers of the civil administration directly connected with law and order and, as such, these come within the powers of the Lt. Governor.
NC insiders say that this is the second time the Raj Bhawan has upset the Omar Abdullah-led government.
“When Omar Sahib was performing the ‘Umrah’ in Saudi Arabia, a set of similar orders was issued by the Lt.Governor,” said a senior NC leader.
Now, the Chief Minister has called an emergency meeting of party legislators and allies at the residence of Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary in Srinagar city on Friday at 11 a.m.
“Some essential issues are likely to be discussed at tomorrow’s emergency meeting,” said another NC leader, obviously trying to dispel an impression that something serious could be in the offing after the meeting.
The powers of the Lt. Governor include law & order, IAS/IPS officers, home department, anti-corruption bureau (ACB), prisons and nomination of the government counsels, including the advocate general, etc.
The fact that as head of the revenue department in the district, the deputy commissioner comes under the revenue minister is counterbalanced by the fact that as the district magistrate, the head of the civil administration in the district comes within the powers of the L-G.
What is true of the deputy commissioner in a district is also true of sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) and executive magistrates like the tehsildars and naib-tehsildars, who are directly connected with the maintenance of law & order.
“It is a typical situation in which the sauce for the gander is not the sauce for the goose,” said a retired senior bureaucrat.
Unless statehood is restored to J&K, any attempt to challenge the powers of the Lt. Governor can only result in an administrative impasse that would not benefit the common man, whose worries in the UT are much bigger than whether an SDM is transferred by the Lt. Governor or the Chief Minister.
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