A tale of negligence and violation: The unfortunate show in HME Department

No rule for Shaffkat!

• Shaffkat Hussain Sheikh, son of Kh. Abdul Rashid Sheikh, resident of village Chilly Bala, Tehsil Bhalesa Gandoh, district Doda, has the ability to manipulate the department according to his own whims and desires.
•  Recently, the Chief Minister Mr. Omar Abdullah strongly opposed attachments, deployments, extensions, and other uncommon practices in service, specifically highlighting the Health & Medical Education Department for such irregularities.
• There is much more to this story, and I urge readers to continue following the Jammu Jottings newspaper, as further revelations will be disclosed in tomorrow’s edition.

RC Sharma Chanakya
Jammu, Dec 15: How can a Junior Pharmacist, Shaffkat Hussain Sheikh, remain in Jammu district for more than 18 years when he belongs to the district cadre of Doda? How did a Junior Pharmacist bypass the entire system and secure an order for his transfer to Jammu district from Doda, issued by the office of the Principal Secretary to the Government, Health & Medical Education Department, Ms. Sonali Kumar? How was he able to orchestrate a transfer in violation of service rules in 2006, and subsequently remain in Jammu district for 18 years, despite changes in governments and even during Governor’s rule?
These are pressing and hard-hitting questions for the entire government, including the General Administrative Department, the Law Department, the Health & Medical Education Department, and, notably, for the Administrative Secretaries of the time and the Directors of Health Services, Jammu, from 2006 to the present. Furthermore, it reflects a severe lapse on the part of the Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) of both Jammu and Doda, who failed to identify this violation of service rules and take necessary action to send the said Junior Pharmacist back to his original district cadre.
This is an unfortunate and disheartening chapter in the history of the Health & Medical Education Department, one that has significantly eroded public trust in the functioning of government machinery, including its Directors and IAS officers who have helmed this critical institution. The case of Shaffkat Hussain Sheikh, a Junior Pharmacist, lays bare the systemic flaws and administrative complacency that have plagued the department for years.
Shaffkat Hussain Sheikh began his service in 1997, joining the health department as a Junior Pharmacist, a district cadre post with Doda as his designated district. For nearly a decade, he served in Doda until 2006, when he secured a transfer under highly questionable circumstances. On 14th February 2006, vide Government Order No. 81-HME of 2006, he managed to obtain an order that essentially served as a deployment/attachment to Jammu district-a move in blatant violation of service rules, as his cadre was restricted to Doda.
Violation of Service Rules: The transfer of a district cadre employee to another district is explicitly against the rules, except under exceptional circumstances. In this case, however, no substantial or justifiable grounds for such a transfer were observed. The issuance of this order coincided with the tenure of Ghulam Nabi Azad as Chief Minister-an individual who also hailed from Doda and the same area as Shaffkat. Whether this coincidence played a role in the transfer or not remains a question that raises eyebrows.
A disheartening deployment: Following his attachment to Jammu district, reports suggest that Shaffkat discharged his duties for an extended period in the office of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Jammu, but not in the capacity of a Junior Pharmacist, the position for which he was appointed. Instead, he worked as a clerk, a role entirely outside his mandate. This misuse of his appointment highlights the mismanagement and disregard for proper administrative protocol within the Health department.
(To be continued)