Career of thousands of aspirants put in peril
FAIZAN BUKHARI
SRINAGAR, Apr 26: The UT government in J&K seems to be least interested in the reconstitution of Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (PSC), the major recruitment constitutional body, lying vacant for the last over six months.
The delay in its reconstitution, which actually was not required as per the safeguards available to this recruitment body in new Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, has put career of thousands of candidates in jeopardy.
“Ever since abolition of JKPSC in November 2019, over 2000 candidates who have already appeared at various stages of recruitment process to the gazetted services await reconstitution of JKPSC,” said Mir Altaf Hussain, one of the aspirants who qualified two rounds of Combined Competitive Examination (CCE—KAS, KPS) and is now waiting for the interview.
He said that 70 posts of CCE were advertised in May 2018 and after having qualified two stages of the most competitive and prestigious examination stretched over last two years in which nearly 60,000 candidates applied, the fate of final 229 candidates, scheduled to appear in final interview stage has been left in peril since past over six months.
“Not only this, nearly 600 posts of assistant professors in higher education department, lecturers in various disciplines of health and medical education in newly established medical colleges face the same uncertainty. Nearly 500 posts of lecturers in health department await interviews. Similarly, 100 plus assistant professors are waiting for their interviews since past six months with no fault from aspirant side,” Jehangir Ahmad, an aspirant for CCE, from Bandipora told Kashmir Despatch.
He said the defunct PSC has even hampered administrative functioning across all departments since all career progressions and promotions are being done by PSC through confirmations by departmental promotion committees.
Despite, clear provisions for establishment of PSC in Reorganisation Act 2019, the UT administration has not paid heed to the ever rising unemployment in J&K.
Pertinent to mention that in past six years, the Combined Competitive Examination has been held only two times, the results of latter still pending. On one hand, the age limit for exams has been continuously being decreased, presently 32 years with provision of a maximum of six attempts for a general category candidate, whereas on other hand, the candidate is not able to even appear two or three times due to delay in recruitment process.
Many candidates having been preparing for past four to five years for the exam have already crossed the age limit, Jehangir informed.
These aspirants have now appealed Lieutenant Governor G.C Murmu for his personal intervention into the matter in order to save their careers from getting ruined by the delay in reconstitution of PSC.
“Now with clear Domicile rules regarding the recruitment, all candidates, especially the aspiring civil servants who have been preparing hard since past four-five years, request the honourable LG to personally look into the matter and restore the normal functioning of JKPSC as soon as possible,” Jehangir pleaded.
