Bring J&K Bank under RTI Act, Tarigami demands

Srinagar, Jun 11: Describing probe against corruption, nepotism and favouritism in Jammu and Kashmir Bank (JKB) better late than never step, senior Communist Party of India (M) on Tuesday said the institutions should be brought under Right to Information (RTI) Act.
'The probe in the Bank by the government is a better late than never step and we had been maintaining from last several years that fraudulent recruitments exercises were going on in the Bank and huge loans were sanctioned to the kith and kin of influential persons in violation of laid down norms,' Mr Tarigami said in a statement here.

'We had been demanding transparency in the functioning of the Bank and that is why we demanded that it should be brought under the ambit of legislature and RTI,' he said, adding that, 'Time and again we were saying it on the floor of the Assembly, but unfortunately the successive governments didn’t allow it to happen'.
He said if there was nothing to hide, the functioning of the Bank must have been put in the public domain. The argument by some vested interests that due to the action against those involved in fraudulent recruitments and financial transactions, the Bank will collapse is hilarious. Keeping every wrongdoing in the Bank under the carpet is in the interests of vested interests and not the common people, the former legislator said.
Mr Tarigami said the ambit of the present probe should not be limited to last three or four years only, but it should be widened and if any wrongdoings happened in the previous governments that too should be probed, and responsibility fixed.
The Bank will strengthen only when there is transparency. The credibility of the Bank in the public eye will increase when there is transparency and favouritism, nepotism and corruption is curbed. People are being misled on the question of eroding autonomy to the Bank by bringing it under the ambit of RTI and legislature. The fact is it will strengthen the premier financial institution of the state as transparency brings accountability, he said.

Mr Tarigami said 'We hope the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) will take the probe to its logical conclusion and all those found guilty of wrongdoings are punished. We also hope that the probe will be time-bound, and all the investigations are put in the public domain.'
Also giving regional colour to administrative changes is wrong and no politics should be played over it. J&K Bank is the collective asset of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh”.

He said the selection process of appointing a new chairman and Managing Director (MD) must be carried out in transparent manner so that the new management is competent, professional and honest to provide all requisite services to the people and business community of the state.

The Governor administration recently sacked former chairman Parvez Ahmad on charges of corruption and favouritism.