840 orders in 3 months of previous UDF govt; Govt puts these orders under scanner

Thiruvananthapuram: As many 840 government orders issued between February and March in the health department during the tenure of the previous UDF rule has been put under scrutiny.

The cabinet sub-committee headed by A K Balan has been asked to scrutinise these orders since majority of the orders are creating posts. It has been found that during the tenure of the UDF government it was under the health department that maximum number of post were created.

With 840 orders put under the scanner of the sub-committee, the people who have joined the service are not getting salaries. The official version is that salaries can be given only after the scrutiny is complete. In many of the posts, the AG’s office is learnt to have raised objection for flouting norms while creating the posts.

"We have put about 840 orders under the scanner. Let the sub-committee submit its report. Then we will take decision on how we should proceed," said K K Shylaja, health minister.

Most of the orders have become controversial since it has been found that the appointments were done to anoint the near and dear ones of the Congress leaders in various posts. Hence all these orders have been now freezed and a policy decision is likely to be taken after the sub-committee submits its report.

The sub-committee has already had a sitting to scrutinise the orders of the health department alone. It is learnt that the committee has found some serious irregularities and is likely to recommend the cancellation of a huge chunk of orders.

"It is surprising to note that such a huge chunk of orders were issued in the space of three months. Many of such orders should be subjected to vigilance probe," was how a senior health official said about the orders.

Once the cabinet sub-committee submits its report a vigilance inquiry into these orders can be expected as the present government is not ready to accept many of these orders.

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