Transfers of clerks, store keepers under active consideration: J&K Minister Satish Sharma
Srinagar, May 17 : Clerical-level employees, including storekeepers and multi-tasking staff, are allegedly exerting undue influence over the functioning of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department in several districts of Kashmir, raising serious concerns about administrative control and transparency, sources said.
Many of these employees have remained posted at the same locations for years, helping them develop a stronghold within the department, according to civil society members and officials spoken to by news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS).
The prolonged stay of such staff has weakened administrative control and affected the normal functioning of the department, they claimed.
Assistant Directors and Tehsil Supply Officers are reportedly facing difficulties in discharging their duties effectively. Sources said officers are often unable to ensure fair and transparent distribution of food grains due to lack of cooperation from subordinate staff, who allegedly resist official directions.
Transfer practices have also come under scrutiny. Some employees manage to get re-posted to the same locations even after being transferred, raising questions about the implementation of administrative orders, sources alleged.
The issue is not limited to a single district. Similar complaints have surfaced from Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian, Anantnag, Bandipora, Baramulla and Ganderbal, indicating a wider pattern affecting the department across Kashmir.
In a further concern, clerical staff posted in the offices of Assistant Directors and Tehsil Supply Officers — many of whom were initially appointed as assistant storekeepers or MTS — are allegedly “calling the shots”, thereby undermining the authority of designated officers.
Civil society members have urged Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Satish Sharma, along with the Commissioner Secretary and Director of the department, to take immediate cognisance of the issue. They have called for strict measures to restore accountability and streamline transfer policies.
Speaking to news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) J&K food minister Satish Sharma said transfers of clerks, storekeepers and assistant storekeepers are under active consideration.
The Minister acknowledged the need to look into the matter and assured that the transfers would be carried out in the near future.(KNS)
