Referring to “State govt goes on austerity drive” (The Tribune, October 26); the government has asked the officials to curb the extravagant expenses, when it spends more than Rs 200 crores, twice, every year on the Durbar Move. The convoy of officials and employees, official records in buses and trucks, escorted by police teams and empty buses and trucks, crane and mobile workshop, moves back and forth, every year, in the state from Srinagar to Jammu. The accommodation of officials and employees in quarters, hotels, guest houses and the recently constructed flats at the cost of Rs 6.98 crores, in no way, support the austerity measures. The increase in travel allowances of thousands of Durbar Move employees has also resulted in government’s liabilities swelling up to Rs 55,346 crores from Rs 18,591 crores, in the past one decade. The time wasted in this practice, amounts to about eight weeks every year. This burden of ironical ‘discipline and austerity’ is laid on the exchequers. The time and money wasted on this movement can be utilized elsewhere to provide ‘good governance’ to the people. Technology can be used in communication to fill the gap between the different regions of the state, which will surely minimize the ‘extravagant expenses’.
waliaharry 