FORMER CHIEF SECRETARIES, SECRETARIES AMONG DEFAULTERS
Srinagar, Apr 23: Normally one would not expect senior government functionaries to violate rules and regulations. But in case of returning books, issued against them in different libraries in Jammu and Kashmir, this has been a routine.
 Several bureaucrats and officials from various departments have taken books from the Civil Secretariat Library of the General Administration Department from time to time. But the books, including some ‘rare’ ones, have not been returned so far despite several reminders, notices, and warnings to the borrowers by the Government.
 Informed sources said the books on different subjects cost several thousand rupees. “There is no trace of the books,” said a senior GAD official, pleading anonymity. “All that librarians know is that the books have been issued against the officials, including some former chief secretaries.”
 The GAD, the official said, has been repeatedly urging the borrowers, mostly the retired officials, to return the book as it was leading to “depletion of valuable treasure.” One of the circulars, issued in 2009, read: “While verifying the position of books in the Civil Secretariat Library of the General Administration Department, it has been noted that many officers during their posting in the Civil Secretariat have borrowed books but have not returned the same before or after their retirement. This has not only led to the depletion of this valuable treasure but has also denied access of other readers to these books.”
 A GAD source said despite ignoring the warnings, the Government didn’t even stop the No Demand Certificates of the borrowers at the time of retirement, a procedure that is normally adopted in libraries. “If not fined, the government could have at least halted their NDCs till they returned the books,” the source said. “But who’ll dare to take cajoles with officers of the level of chief secretaries, secretaries. After all everybody wants to be in the good books of such people.”
 The situation is similar with the libraries run by the Department of Libraries and Research (DLR), where hundreds of books have been issued to “book lovers” only to be kept at home. These include the historical SPS Library, Lal Mandi, and the SRS Library, Jammu, besides public libraries at the district, tehsil or block level.
 On the World Book and Copyright Day on April 23nd, the DLR director, Khalid Bashir Ahmad made a passionate appeal to the defaulters to return books. In his article titled “Let’s read!” in Greater Kashmir, he wrote: “Today, as we celebrate books, I appeal the conscience of those of our friends who have borrowed books from public libraries long back, and have failed to return these. They are blocking the others’ urge to gain knowledge. It goes without saying that books are meant to be circulated, not held back.”
 The young civil servants believe the defaulters must be punished, and their pension should be withheld till they return books. “In all schools, colleges and universities, students and teachers who don’t return books after availing them from libraries are fined hefty sum of money. But such rules don’t apply to bureaucrats, politicians and civil servants who avail books, never to return. That is quite sad,” said a KAS officer, wishing not to be named. “When civil servants violate rules this way, what more can one say!”
 The authorities, however, say they have now made it mandatory to return books in time, or else their NDCs won’t be issued. “In the past there may have been this practice. But now we don’t have many defaulters. And it is mandatory for them to return books before NDC is issued to them,” said the commissioner/secretary, GAD, Basharat Ahmad Dhar.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 24 Apr 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 24 Apr 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 25 Apr 2010 00:00:00 IST