Image Source: The Northlines

REPRODUCED TEXT
(Originally published in The Northlines Issue dated 6 June 20)

The Chief Secretary J&K Administration who is also heading the State Executive Committee of Disaster Management in J&K today sprang a surprise on all and sundry when he resumed his duties after cutting short his mandatory quarantine period midway.
The Chief Secretary and over eighty senior and middle level bureaucrats of the J&K Administration had to go into mandatory quarantine immediately after the report of a senior Principal Secretary level officer, who came into their contact while attending several meetings, was tested positive on Saturday last the May 30th.
Soon after testing positive, this officer was moved to a hospital in Jammu and as per protocol, all his contacts including the Chief Secretary and others went into self-quarantine. Later on June 01, under huge panic, the administration had ordered deep sanitisation of the civil secretariat in Jammu.
As per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) dated May 25, all passengers returning to J&K via road, train or air were mandated to undergo COVID-19 tests followed by 14 days of administrative quarantine.
The Chief Secretary and his aiding officers, one Additional Secretary and an Under Secretary who also attended the said meetings, too joined back in a bid to assist the Chief Secretary at his office at Civil Secretariat violating the mandatory quarantine procedure.
Sources said that the emergent situation developed after a large number of senior officers went into quarantine, which hindered the agenda and could delay the major administrative decisions likely to be taken in the SAC meeting scheduled for June 06.
Strangely, the senior IAS officer of Principal Secretary Rank, who had tested positive for novel coronavirus after attending these high-level meetings on Saturday the May 30th and before, now tested negative for the Corona virus on 04th June (Thursday), posing a serious question on the credibility of Covid Tests protocol in J&K.
The officer’s back to back tests have reported negative results which has caused a serious doubt as to which of the two test results undertaken within five days was correct one. However, the said officer has not joined back his duties.
Employees complained against ‘Breach of SOP’ as well as on curtailing of the mandatory quarantine period by none other than the Chief Secretary.
On an earlier occasion, the family of one of Advisors to Lt. Governor, that later tested positive, in violation of SOP, was taken straightway to Police Officers’ Mess in Police line in Gandhi Nagar, Jammu for the refreshment putting the entire officer mess and its staff to forced quarantine.
Are there special Covid Tests meant for top bureaucrats different from those for lesser mortals who have to remain in administrative quarantine for days ranging from 4-10 eagerly waiting for the Covid Test reports and whether the rules can be broken by abuse of position?
Several employees of the J&K administration have complained about the alleged breach of the standard operating procedure (SOP) in government offices by their seniors, adding that since the administration has been hit badly, the government might have exigencies of services in this highly war-like situation.
It is now a known fact that the administration has been facing a tough time as top bureaucrats have to work from home till their quarantine period is over. Several important government business and decisions have not been taken in the absence of many senior and middle level officials who work as chain-link in the administrative machinery.
This comes at a time when the number of Covid-19 cases in the J&K UT has climbed to 3324 and the death toll has reached 36 till date.