Jammu, Nov 20: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has directed the officials concerned to form a high-level panel for closing down Integrated Wasteland Development Programme (IWDP) offices and absorbing its staff in allied wings of the forest department, an official spokesperson said on Tuesday.
According to the spokesperson, this has been decided to ensure proper use of manpower and assets of the department.
In a meeting convened here to discuss the road map for winding up the IWDP department, Commissioner Secretary to the state administration Manoj Kumar Dwivedi directed officials to set up the committee headed by the principal chief conservator of forest, he said.
This committee will work out the modality for transfer of movable and immovable infrastructures and examine the issues pertaining to seniority, promotional avenues and amendment in recruitment rules, the spokesperson said.
At the meeting, Dwivedi said, “To strengthen the department and make it viable, we should make proper use of the manpower and assets of the IWDP which would help in upgradation of the department.”
The meeting was informed that out of 479 employees of IWDP, 374 have been posted in other departments.
These include wildlife, environment and remote sensing, state forest research institute, soil and water conservation, Wullar Conservation and Management Authority, forest territorial and forest administration.
The IWDP employees shifted to various organizations along with their posts are proposed to be permanently absorbed there and their posts are proposed to be added to the sanctioned strength of the respective organizations, the spokesperson said.
The committee would evolve a mechanism to complete its task in a time-bound manner, preferably by March 31, he said.
